Maybank served as state Revenue Department director under Gov. David Beasley from 1995 to 1999. Before returning to the department last month, he was a tax attorney with Nexsen, Pruet, Jacobs and Pollard in Charleston.

Maybank, 47, oversees the tax collection arm of state government. His pay is based on a $100,000 annual salary until a new pay structure for Cabinet secretaries is approved.

With South Carolina facing a budget shortfall estimated to be between $400 million and $800 million, the Revenue Department is expected to play a key role in trying to fill state coffers.

The State recently asked Maybank about his return to the Revenue Department and his outlook for the state:

Q: Why did you choose to return as revenue director, especially given the state of South Carolina’s budget?

A: I found the job very rewarding and most important of all I’ve heard from so many people within the department that I decided it was something I wanted to do again.

Q: How different is the job in 2003 compared with four years ago?

A: It’s a significantly smaller Department of Revenue compared to when I left, especially in terms of employees, but I wouldn’t say the job itself is vastly different.

Q: How did the current budget crunch occur?

A: The state economy got in the situation it is in now through worldwide global trends and I think because the state lost its focus on economic development.

Q: What’s it going to take to get South Carolina’s bottom line back in the black?

A: For things to improve, the economy has to turn around in South Carolina.

Q: Do you think filing a tax return has become too difficult for many people?

A: The tax code has become too complex for many folks. On the state side, the return is easier but there is still an area of complexity that is beyond a lot of people.

Q: Do you do your own taxes, or use a preparer?

A: The tax laws have just gotten so complicated that it’s money well spent for me to have a CPA do my taxes.

Q: Will there be another tax amnesty this year or in the next four years, where people can pay back taxes without facing penalties?

A: There is no tax amnesty planned for this year, or in the near future.