COLUMBIA - South Carolina should raise its cigarette tax by 30 cents a pack to bring the Palmetto State in line with its neighbors, a move that could create income tax cuts of $200 million, Gov. Mark Sanford proposed Wednesday.
The governor said he wanted a pared-down cigarette tax proposal compared with the one he'd put forward early in his tenure.
"We can't have the whole apple; we may have a piece of the apple," Mr. Sanford said as he revealed another portion of his 2008 budget proposal, due out next month.
"If we propose things that are too big, we lose our ability of getting what we are shooting for," Mr. Sanford said, comparing his proposals to a "rifle shot" and not a "shotgun" blast.
"This proposal really boils down to two things, and that's bolstering South Carolina's economic health and improving individual South Carolinians' health," Mr. Sanford said.
He said he would oppose a cigarette tax increase unless it is offset by a corresponding tax decrease.
State Sen. Brad Hutto criticized Mr. Sanford's proposals, saying that a lower income tax would benefit the state's wealthy residents. The Orangeburg Democrat said the cigarette tax money should instead be targeted for health insurance costs.
"The governor has once again shown himself to be out of touch with regular folks," Mr. Hutto said.
Legislators are expecting $803 million more to spend in this year's budget compared with last year.
