It took the Senate about three minutes Wednesday to kill Gov. Mark Sanford’s top legislative priority — a proposed income tax cut.

Unless its backers can revive the issue today — a long shot on the last day of the 2004 General Assembly — Sanford will end his second legislative year having accomplished few of his goals.

“It is dead as a doornail this year,” Sen. John Courson, R-Richland, said of the plan to reduce the 7 percent state income tax to 4.75 percent over 10 years. Courson supports the plan.

Some senators already were looking to next year, hoping to push for broader tax reform — affecting income, sales and property taxes.

The Senate ended last week locked in debate over the income tax plan, with Democrats promising to filibuster until the session’s end. Republicans needed 28 votes to end the delay, but after several tries could muster just 25.

At the beginning of the day Wednesday, Finance Committee chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, asked to send the tax cut back to committee, effectively killing the bill. Leatherman said the Senate had to be able to move beyond the issue to get to bills being blocked by the filibuster.

There is still a slim chance Sanford could see the Senate vote on his proposal — it is tacked onto another bill waiting in a tall stack of yet-to-be-considered legislation.

Senate president pro tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, would like to see the Senate take a vote on the tax cut before the session ends.

“We could get to it,” he said. “We’ve got the possibility.”

Sanford, though, sounded resigned to the bill’s demise. Spokesman Will Folks said the governor worked hard to pass the tax cut, blaming archaic rules in the Senate for allowing a minority to hold up legislation the majority wanted.

“We got it to the 1-yard line,” Folks said. “We certainly hope the Senate is going to review its rules in the summer so the will of the majority can’t be held hostage.”

BUSY DAY

The income tax vote came on a busy day in the Senate. With one day left to go before wrapping up the legislative session, senators whipped through several bills.

They sent an amended version of a property tax plan back to the House. It could become law if the House agrees today. Under the bill, property values for tax purposes could increase no more than 20 percent during a reassessment.

Senators also joined the House in passing the Fiscal Discipline Act, which requires the state to replenish its rainy-day fund and pay down a $155 million deficit.

Today is likely to be a busy day as well, with lawmakers looking to pass new laws right up to the 5 p.m. close of the session.

But McConnell said he doubts the Senate will take up such controversial bills as civil court reform and state government restructuring.

LOOKING AHEAD

With Sanford’s tax cut out of the way, some in the Senate hope to push for tax reform next year instead of piecemeal cuts.

For example, Rep. Rick Quinn, R-Richland, and Sens. Vincent Sheheen, D-Kershaw, and David Thomas, R-Greenville, have already talked about combining property tax reform plans.

The Quinn/Sheheen proposal would remove all responsibility for paying for schools from local governments and give it to the state. It would pay for schools using sales taxes, abandoning property taxes as a way of funding day-to-day school operations.

“If we’re going to tackle major change in the tax code, we need to do it in a major fashion,” Sheheen said.

Opponents of Sanford’s tax plan said it would have benefited only the wealthiest taxpayers — who pay the most tax — and would have hamstrung state government, making it impossible to recover from budget cuts.

But Sanford and supporters of his income tax cut had argued the proposal was an important first step in tax reform.

They said a lower income tax rate would help make South Carolina more attractive to industry compared with neighboring states.

THE CHECKLIST

The death of Sanford’s tax cut means he has failed to pass almost any significant legislation this year.

A few weeks ago, Sanford drew up a list of 16 bills he was pushing lawmakers to support. He called it his “Checklist for Change” and held regular news conferences to update his progress.

Now, with one day left in the legislative session, just three bills have passed both the House and Senate to become law.

Thomas said Sanford’s public rebukes of the Legislature this year — such as vetoing 106 items in the state budget — have made it difficult to convince lawmakers to support his bills.

He predicted the Republican governor would continue to struggle with the GOP-led Legislature next session.

“I really do think some members taste blood,” Thomas said. “They see he’s had trouble getting things passed.”

Reach Talhelm at (803) 771-8339 or jtalhelm@thestate.com