FLORENCE -- Gov. Mark Sanford paid a visit to a manufacturing business Monday to campaign for his plan to reduce the amount of income taxes South Carolinians pay.

Sanford said he chose to visit Palmetto Packaging because it is a prime example of the type of small business which will benefit from his plan. Palmetto Packaging employs 52 people and makes corrugated packaging products for manufacturers.

"The real backbone to economic development is small business," Sanford told the workers, as they gathered for his presentation showing how South Carolina ranks in terms of income tax rates. "Each and every one of you is a hero in the march to economic recovery."

Sanford told the small audience that South Carolina has the second highest income tax rate in the Southeast and the 13th highest rate in the nation. He said reducing the amount of income taxes paid by workers would help small businesses grow and give the state's residents more money to spend.

"This hurts us in the effort to build business like this business," he said.

Sanford said his plan to cut the income tax rate while increasing the cigarette tax would help the state fund health care while leaving more money in the pockets of workers.

"We think this is a big win for small business, because we address the cost-shift of increasing health care costs," he said.

Health care cost was a point that hit home with the president of Palmetto Packaging, David Searcy.

"We paid 100 percent of our employee's health insurance until last year," Searcy said. "It just got too expensive for us to keep doing it."

Sanford toured the plant, talking with workers about his plan and about what they can do to help get it passed through the House and Senate.

"I think we have a reasonable shot at getting it passed," he told one worker. "In the world of politics, that's all you can ask for is a reasonable shot."

Sanford urged the employees at Palmetto Packaging to call their legislative representatives and ask them to support his plan.

"Sen. Leatherman, your local senator here in Florence, has signed on," he said. "I'm asking for your help. We need the help of regular folks to call their legislators in Columbia."

Searcy said he was impressed Sanford paid a visit to his business. He told Sanford that in the 25 years Palmetto Packaging has been in business, the company has received little attention from state government. "We've gotten one visit from someone in the Commerce Department in 25 years," Searcy said to the governor. Searcy said he thought Sanford's visit made an impact with his employees.

"I'm really flattered he chose to come here," he said. "I think he's genuinely interested in small businesses, which is really good. It's about time someone in state government paid attention to small business."