This is a printer friendly version of an article from
www.goupstate.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose
Print.
Back
Article published May 21, 2004
Senators try to salvage governor's tax cut
plan
ROBERT W. DALTON and ABIGAIL TAMM-SEITZ
Staff Writers
COLUMBIA -- With the clock running down on the
legislative session, a group of Republican state senators on Thursday mounted a
last-ditch effort to pass Gov. Mark Sanford's plan to reduce the state's top
income tax from 7 percent to 4.75 percent.The Senate will use a bill coming back
from the House as the vehicle to drive the tax plan.The House tacked on several
amendments -- including its version of the income tax plan -- and returned the
bill to the Senate on Thursday. Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville, said the Senate
would gut those amendments and replace them with its version of the tax plan,
possibly as early as Tuesday.The General Assembly will meet just six more times
before adjourning for the summer. Some of that time could be eaten up dealing
with any budget vetoes Sanford hands down, and Sen. John Hawkins expects
opponents to the tax plan to put up a strong challenge."It's going to be a tough
fight," Hawkins said during a news conference Thursday morning.The Senate's plan
calls for the income tax to be reduced by .225 percent each year that the Board
of Economic Advisors projects tax collections to grow by at least 4 percent. The
plan would take effect in 2006.Sanford's plan, which the House approved, called
for only 2 percent growth before the tax reduction would be applied.Thomas said
the approach that the Senate was taking was not bobtailing -- the practice of
tacking unrelated legislation onto another bill.But several senators earlier
this year accused the House of bobtailing when it used the same method to send
the Senate a bill that would have given law enforcement officers the authority
to stop motorists for not wearing a seatbelt. Debate on that bill bogged down
the Senate for more than a month.And Sanford vetoed an economic development bill
in March because it had been loaded with amendments. The General Assembly
overrode the veto, and Sanford threatened to sue. He backed off the threat when
the General Assembly agreed to seek a legislative solution.Sanford and nine of
the 24 of the Republican senators who signed a petition saying they fully
supported the governor's proposal joinedHawkins at Thursday's news conference.
Sanford praised the senators for supporting the plan, which he said would create
jobs in South Carolina."Our chance to be more competitive in the global
marketplace may be here on Tuesday," Sanford said.Sen. Hugh Leatherman,
R-Florence, and Sen. Luke Rankin, R-Conway, didn't sign the petition but
attended the news conference. Leatherman said he never signed anything. Rankin
said he supported the Senate plan, not Sanford's -- but he asked Sanford to pose
for photos with him after the news conference.Bob Dalton can be reached at
562-7274 or bob.dalton@shj.com. Abigail Tamm-Seitz can be reached at
562-7210.