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Article published May 26, 2004
Democrats prevent vote on plan to cut income
taxes
ROBERT W. DALTON
Staff
Writer
COLUMBIA -- Score round one of the debate over Gov. Mark
Sanford's income tax reduction plan for the Senate Democrats.Led by Sen. Brad
Hutto, D-Orangeburg, and Sen. John Land, D-Manning, the Democrats on Tuesday
prevented a vote on the proposal, which would lower the state's top income tax
rate from 7 percent to 4.75 percent over 10 years.With time running out in the
legislative session, Sanford was gambling on a group of Republican senators to
give the plan one final push. Hutto decided to use Sanford's plan to push
gambling.Hutto offered an amendment to the proposal that would have allowed the
Catawba Indian Nation to open a high-stakes bingo operation along I-95 in
Orangeburg County. The site would have about 700 machines and would employ 1,100
workers.Hoping to build support for theamendment, Hutto launched into an
"extended education period," -- the Senate's preferred term for filibuster."This
is a chance to do some real economic good for people who need it," Hutto
said.Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer brought the debate to a screeching halt when he ruled
that the amendment was not germane to the tax-cut bill, effectively killing it.
Hutto appealed, and the Republican-controlled Senate voted 25-17 to sustain
Bauer's ruling.A 1993 agreement that ended a land dispute entitles the Catawbas
to have two bingo operations in the state. The first, a traditional bingo hall,
opened in Rock Hill in 1997.Sen. Wes Hayes, R-Rock Hill, said no one would
object if the second site operated the same way."This is being mischaracterized
as a bingo parlor," Hayes said. "But this is 700 Class II machines (similar to
the video gambling machines used at the casino in Cherokee, N.C.). It's nothing
like traditional bingo."The Catawbas have said that if the bill doesn't make it
through the legislature, they will use video gambling machines in Rock Hill. The
tribe recently filed suit in federal court asking a judge to allow video
gambling on the reservation.Sanford spokesman Will Folks said the governor
doesn't believe the 1993 agreement gives the Catawbas the right to have video
gambling."If the Catawbas are determined to break the law, the governor will be
equally determined to enforce it," Folks said.The agreement said, in part, that
the tribe could permit video gambling on its reservation "to the same extent
that the devices are authorized by state law." The state outlawed video gambling
in 2000.With one roadblock removed, Land took the podium to argue against the
tax-cut plan itself. He said it would help only the wealthiest South Carolinians
while undermining education and Medicaid funding."You need to think about this
long and hard before you vote, because this is not good for South Carolina,"
Land said. "If you're looking for a train wreck, this is it. Vote for this and
it will bring the state to its knees."Sen. Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, said the
Democrats are doing exactly what he expected."I think it's evident that the
Democrats will do anything they can to avoid a vote on income tax cuts," Ritchie
said.Sanford said the proposal isn't about partisan politics, but, rather, about
job creation."To the guy out there who has lost his job, he doesn't care if a
Democrat or a Republican is a part of the remedy," Sanford said. "This is not a
partisan concept."Robert W. Dalton can be reached at 562-7274 or
bob.dalton@shj.com.