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Web posted Monday, August
16, 2004
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Herbkersman: Near miss hurricanes and missing
tax relief
By Bill Herbkersman
Special to the Carolina Morning News
Hurricane season got off to a busy start
last week. With both Bonnie and Charley paying us
visits, we might have seen a lot more damage and
injury than we did. The storms didn't strike us
directly, but William Winn and his Beaufort County
Emergency Preparedness crew were, nonetheless,
fully engaged. From what I could tell, these folks
began the recovery and cleanup even before the
last storm was over the horizon. It's good to know
that when "the big one" inevitably arrives, we
have good plans and excellent personnel to deal
with the situation.
Last week, before the
excitement, we had a nice couple come by the
office.
They were from Florida and had
recently moved into Sun City. They wanted to know
what became of the bill that was going to lower
the income tax in South Carolina. That was the
Income Tax Relief, H.4675, which would have
lowered the state income tax by a third over 10
years. This would be done incrementally in years
when the Board of Economic Advisors (BEA)
certified that economic growth in the state was at
least 2 percent.
This common sense
legislation was passed twice by the House, but
died in the Senate. I will be more than surprised
if a version of this bill doesn't make another
appearance next session.
I had a nice chat
with Donna Huffman over at the Bluffton Breeze.
She let me know that her golf team placed first in
a recent tournament. We both agreed that Bluffton,
in many ways, was the No. 1 team.
Finally,
the phones have been ringing off the hook as
constituents want to know the status of the real
estate property tax cap. With reassessments mailed
last week, people are keenly interested in this
matter.
As most of you know, the bill to
cap property taxes was passed by both the House
and Senate in the last hours of the recently
completed legislative session. It is now on the
governor's desk waiting for either a signature or
a veto. If he does nothing, it will become law
right after the opening of the new session in
January. If he vetoes the measure, it will
probably be overridden early in the
session.
I talk with either the governor or
his office almost every day and I can't really get
an inkling of what he is inclined to do. It is
still being studied. Having said that, it is my
sense that this ultimately will be decided in the
courts.
For today, if you are interested
and want to be a part of the process, call the
governor and let him know what you are thinking.
His number is (803) 734-2100. If you don't get
him, leave a message.
Tax relief and red
tape relief are two of the reasons I'm your
representative, your voice in Columbia. I'm here
for you. That's why it's called the House of
Representatives.
Bill Herbkersman
represents District 118 in the South Carolina
House of Representatives. He can be reached
through his Web site at www.herbkersman.com or by
telephone at 757-7900. He is assigned to the
agriculture, natural resources and environmental
affairs committees.
Other state lawmakers
are:
Sen. Scott Richardson,
R
District 46
52 North Calibogue
Cay
Hilton Head Island, S.C.
29928
610 Gressette Bldg.
Columbia,
SC 29202-0142
(803)
212-6040
SR1@scsenate.org
Committee
assignments: banking and insurance, general,
judiciary, rules and transportation.
Sen.
Clementa C. Pinckney, D
District
45
P.O. Box 300
Ridgeland, S.C.
29936
613 Gressette Bldg.
Columbia,
S.C. 29202
(803)
212-6056
CCP@scsenate.org
Committee
assignments: agriculture and natural resources,
corrections and penology, finance, medical affairs
and transportation.
Rep. R. Thayer Rivers
Jr., D
District 122
P.O. Box
104
Ridgeland, S.C. 29936
532D Blatt
Bldg.
Columbia, S.C. 29211
(803)
734-3073
Committee assignment:
judiciary.
Rep. JoAnne Gilham,
R
District 123
21 Dune
Lane
Hilton Head Island, S.C.
29928
326C Blatt Bldg.
Columbia,
S.C. 29211-1867
(803)
734-2977
JG@scstatehouse.net
Committee
assignment: education and public works and
rules.
Rep. Catherine Ceips,
R
District 124
1207 Bay
St.
Beaufort, S.C. 29902
326A Blatt
Bldg.
Columbia, S.C. 29211
(803)
734-3261
ceipsc@scstatehouse.net
Committee
assignments: medical, military, public and
municipal affairs.
Rep. Walter P. Lloyd,
D
District 121
102 Rearden
Lane
Walterboro, S.C. 29488
(home)
549-5026
(fax) 549-1281
(office)
549-7586
434C Blatt Bldg.
Columbia,
S.C. 29211
(803)
549-5026
WPL@scstatehouse.net
Committee
assignments: education and public
works.
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