By fitsnews – May 29, 2012
HERE WE GO AGAIN …
Last year, S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley and leaders of the “Republican-controlled” S.C. General Assembly patted themselves on the back for providing certain Palmetto State businesses with $146 million (later reduced to $141 million) worth of “employment insurance tax relief.”
The only catch?
This so-called “tax relief” was nothing but a modest reduction in the massive tax hike that lawmakers imposed on these businesses the previous year in an effort to pay down a $1 billion unemployment benefit debt to the federal government. Not only that it was paid for out of general fund revenue – meaning that a massive business tax hike was marginally reduced thanks to a new tax hike on individual taxpayers.
Why did we run up such a huge debt in the first place? Easy … because our unemployment rate is one of the highest in America (and we’re among the worst states in America when it comes to doling out unauthorized payments to ineligible recipients).
Has S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley fixed this problem? Of course not … in fact her Department of Employment and Workforce (SCDEW) is staring down a major scandal over its efforts to continue paying out benefits to recipients who no longer qualify for them (while rewarding the bureaucrats responsible).
Anyway, Haley and lawmakers are up to their old tricks again this year – forcing South Carolina taxpayers to shell out another $77 million in new “employment insurance tax relief.”
As was the case a year ago, this is “tax relief” that taxpayers are paying for (meaning it’s NOT tax relief) … which will do nothing but make a modest dent on a debt that was recently calculated at $782 million.
Amazing, isn’t it? Only in the warped minds of South Carolina “Republicans” is it considered conservative to raise taxes by nearly $1 billion on businesses, then force taxpayers to assume responsibility for funding that increase.
Once again “it’s a great day in South Carolina …” unless of course you’re paying for this nonsense.
***
