SC

Steve French: Get Rid Of SC Income Tax

Tax day is finally here, South Carolina, and I for one feel like it’s time for April 15th to be just like any other spring day. Many have been working long and hard over the year to provide for your families, put food on the table and keep the lights…

Tax day is finally here, South Carolina, and I for one feel like it’s time for April 15th to be just like any other spring day. Many have been working long and hard over the year to provide for your families, put food on the table and keep the lights on. We have paid our local sales tax, gas tax, and property taxes. Our federal government has taken Social Security and Medicare taxes. For those of you that have any free time after working you have paid a fishing license tax, hunting license tax, recreational vehicle water tax or even a dog license tax to enjoy that spare time. Who knew that man’s best friend could be so expensive?

And after all your hard work, stress, and budgeting we now have come to the day where we find out that it is still not enough, and please realize that in the eyes of the government it will never be enough, so we suck it up and pay. The saying rings true, “the more you tax something, the less you get of it”

It’s time for the citizens of South Carolina to demand the elimination of the income tax.

Ending the income tax will give the average family $2500 back. That’s over $200 a month of extra purchasing power for the average South Carolina taxpayer. That’s real money that can be used to buy a reliable car to get to work, pay off student loans, or wait for it … health insurance for those that cannot afford it. Thanks Obama but we just solved the national health care crisis.

Whatever the use, everyone can use an extra $200 dollars a month. But it’s not just about the money, more importantly it’s about your time. I know there are some that make less than the state average but what I want everyone to understand is that no matter how much your time is worth, we are all trading our time for dollars. At 7 percent, South Carolina has the 13th highest income tax in the country which means that out of 365 days a year, 25 of those days are being spent working for the state for nothing more than you being alive pursuing your hopes and dreams. What would you rather be doing during those 25 days?

There are nine other states that do not have an income tax. Those nine states have created 63 percent of all the new jobs over the past decade; it is time for South Carolina to become the tenth. Imagine how competitive we will be when we join the one-fifth of the states that have created over half the jobs in this country. Picture the burden that will be lifted off of families helping them pay for rising food, gas and energy costs. Imagine the time you can spend with your family getting those 25 days back. How many foreclosures and bankruptcies will this state be spared from families getting an extra $200 a month?

This can happen, all we have to do is roll back spending to 2010 levels taking $3 billion dollars out of the hands of big government and putting it back into the hands of the men and women that earned it.

From the desk of Steve French, the libertarian candidate for governor of South Carolina.

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39 comments

Talk is Cheap April 16, 2014 at 3:57 pm

Great idea. Have you written a bill, proposed a constitutional amendment referendum, or did you waste your energy just writing this editorial about an idea you have no intent to bring to fruition?

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Question April 16, 2014 at 4:17 pm

Since he isnt going to be elected,how could he possibly bring it to fruition?

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euwe max April 16, 2014 at 4:06 pm

Hey! Great idea! Pay for it out of the education “fund.”

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GrandTango April 16, 2014 at 4:32 pm

Issues:

Gay Marriage
Legal Drugs
Right to work w/o unions
Illegal immigration
Voter ID
Medicaid Expansion
Incentives to lure jobs
Answer Yes or No (support)…and I’ll tell you where I stand…

Liberal-Tarians are always swinging at sofballs, like income tax elimination..even though they never hit the ball…I want to know where you stand on the things that are being fought as we speak…

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Rebel Bebel April 16, 2014 at 5:25 pm

“Answer Yes or No (support)…and I’ll tell you where I stand…”

You get off Medicaid, then come back and ask us where we stand.

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Smirks April 16, 2014 at 5:51 pm

I don’t like swinging at softballs, taking swings at goofballs is more fun.

GrandTango, you have more “issues” than that, don’t you? :)

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TontoBubbaGoldstein April 16, 2014 at 7:03 pm

GrandTango, you have more “issues” than that, don’t you?

GT has “subscriptions”.

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euwe max April 16, 2014 at 7:09 pm

…and “accordions.”

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TontoBubbaGoldstein April 16, 2014 at 7:02 pm

No.
Yes.
Yes.
No.
Yes.
No.
No.

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GrandTango April 16, 2014 at 7:37 pm

You like drugs, and you’re anti -Economic development. That’s where we differ….not too bad..

If Liberal-Tarians would support freedom for all earners (lower taxes) I could let you have drugs…

But: Liberalizing drugs means more jobs for the sober and disciplined…but then we have to take care of the children you leave w/o hope or help, because you want to get F*#ked up…We just don’t need to sanction any more irresponsibility, than we already subsidize…

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Bible Thumper April 16, 2014 at 10:00 pm

I need help. I agree with GT 100%. Please someone help me.

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Slartibartfast April 16, 2014 at 10:02 pm

Well.. you’d need a prescription, and.. well..

Bible Thumper April 16, 2014 at 10:02 pm

How about marijuana?

Slartibartfast April 16, 2014 at 10:09 pm

Sure. You buying? See you in Colorado! Actually there’s a triple malt blend I prefer. Cheap, soft, and brilliant.

Bible Thumper April 16, 2014 at 10:21 pm

No. If I go to the dark side, I might as well go all the way. Amsterdam. There I might partake of other forbidden pleasures.

Slartibartfast April 16, 2014 at 9:42 pm

Gay Marriage – sure – it’s not Holy Matrimony.
Legalizing recreational Drugs – ALL Drugs AND stop requiring prescriptions
Right to work w/o unions – there is no right to work with unions.. or onions.
Illegal immigration – it’s not immigration if it’s illegal – it’s cheating
Voter ID – opposition to this is just stupid, esp. since SC makes it so easy
Medicaid Expansion – Spay anyone who believes in the ACA, and eat their children
Incentives to lure jobs – it’s called sales – you have to do it, if you can’t offer them taxation by another route. Having a state income tax cost us Bi-Lo.

Frankly, no-one is going to prosper as long as Democrats are in national office. And no-one is going to prosper in this state, as long as our legislators play power games instead of leaving us alone.

That being said, there are better, private ways to achieve EVERYTHING we do in this state. Everything.

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GrandTango April 17, 2014 at 8:35 pm

You seem to be in favor of most of the pro-freedom things I support…, but because the Liberals on here have so vilified me, so many people, who would vote Exactly as I vote…express hatred and contempt.

That is the liberals’ best hope now. Divide people who agree…so you’ll choose, not the lesser of two evils…but the only evil..The Democrat.

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Slartibartfast April 17, 2014 at 10:45 pm

Well, now, GT.. to be totally honest, if you toned down your rhetoric, and not be so quick to react, a lot more people might agree with you. Everybody on this board has a responsibility to be as humorous as they can, while not being obnoxious. We do not always reach our goal.

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easterndumbfuckastan April 17, 2014 at 8:27 pm

Gay Marriage – Marriage is a church issue not a state issue. That should be handled by the church, get the government out of religious ceremonies.
Legalizing recreational Drugs – Yes, Because the war on drugs is very expensive and costing our society big $$$$ by locking people up and wasting law enforcement $$$ when it could be used to stop crime that is hurting people not involved in the drug BS.
Right to work w/o unions – Yes. Unions no longer serve a purpose other than as a fundrasing arm of the Dem. Party.
Illegal immigration – No – Secure the southern and northern borders, deport the illegals.
Voter ID – Yes
Medicaid Expansion – No
Incentives to lure jobs – Case by Case basis. Support Boeing, BMW, Verizon in South Carolina.

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GrandTango April 17, 2014 at 8:35 pm

You seem to be in favor of most of the, pro-freedom things I support…, but because the Liberals on here have so vilified me, so many people, who would vote Exactly as I vote…express hatred and contempt.

That is the liberals’ best hope now. Divide people who agree…so you’ll choose, not the lesser of two evils…but the only evil..The Democrat.

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sick of bullshit April 16, 2014 at 5:25 pm

“Ending the income tax will give the average family $2500 back.”

BULLSHIT.

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Smirks April 16, 2014 at 6:07 pm

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/45000.html

Based on median household income, median household income is $44,623.

Anyone care to do the math? I checked a quick tax calculator and $2500 savings would not come from eliminating the state income tax, it would come from eliminating the federal income tax.

We’re talking major shortfalls either way, so pushing other taxes up, eating higher deficits, or major cuts to government programs. Doing this on the national level would be several orders of magnitudes worse.

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PillageVillage April 16, 2014 at 6:21 pm

44623 x 0.07 = 3123.61

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Smirks April 16, 2014 at 6:32 pm

There’s more than one tax bracket, and you’re leaving out deductions.

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junior justice April 16, 2014 at 6:36 pm

$44,623 as used here refers to GROSS INCOME — as opposed to TAXABLE INCOME ( after deducting personal exemptions and itemized/standard deduction) and then credits must be taken into account (child tax credits, child care credit, education credits, and earned income credit). There are more calculations involved, but these are the principal ones to consider for this discussion. Think about it, play around with the numbers, and then wonder about who would truly benefit.

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TontoBubbaGoldstein April 16, 2014 at 6:58 pm

Think about it, play around with the numbers, and then wonder about who would truly benefit.

TBG is going to guess that it would be the folks who are currently paying state income tax.

junior justice April 16, 2014 at 7:55 pm

“it would be the folks who are currently paying state income tax”
—————————
There are many variables that would affect the tax liability of a taxpayer(s)——-
A married couple, one wage earner with stay-at-home mom, with two pre-school kids, and taking the standard deduction would have a SC income tax liability about $765. Yes, this couple would appreciate keeping that money in their household.

lmao April 16, 2014 at 10:24 pm

Who’s making sure the poor pay their fair share?

Tom April 16, 2014 at 7:10 pm

You don’t have to think about it, unless you are brain dead. We know who would benefit, because it is a typical Republican plan.

Cut taxes on the rich and pay for the cuts by increased taxes on the middle and decreased funds to programs that benefit the average citizen.

cuvinny April 16, 2014 at 6:44 pm

That’s now how tax brackets work….

Not that I agree with this bozo

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cuvinny April 16, 2014 at 6:47 pm

That said, our tax brackets are fucking awful and not progressive at all

NoLubeBareback April 16, 2014 at 6:53 pm

No fucking shit Sherlock. Dont have time to school you in a fucking comments section.

euwe max April 16, 2014 at 7:09 pm

put your calculator away – that’s common core.

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junior justice April 17, 2014 at 8:16 am

There are many variables that would affect the tax liability of a taxpayer(s)——-

Using the median household income of $44,623 —

A married couple, one wage earner with stay-at-home mom, with two pre-school kids, and taking the standard deduction would have income tax liabilities of $765 for SC and $ 1,785 for US — a total of
$ 2,550.

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Vaginosis April 16, 2014 at 6:16 pm

But SC already has low taxes. Hahahahahahahahaahaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahaa.

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Bill April 16, 2014 at 6:21 pm

Typical Republican. Half a plan. We want to cut taxes, but we can’t tell you how we will replace the lost revenue or what we will cut to make up for the lost revenue. I’m Mitt Romney, I can’t tell you what I will do if I am elected because you might not elect me.
Just like Shealy and Davis devoid of real ideas.

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Limbaughsaphatkhunt April 16, 2014 at 8:46 pm

Here’s the plan to offset the cuts (GOP style):

1) If you get sick….hope that you die quickly.

2) Instead of roads maintenance we’re back to horse and cart.

3) All children will now be home schooled (Bible focuses…so no evolution). No more public education. Of course one parent will still have to work (the dad naturally) but the cost to the state of the loss of two parent incomes is probably less than what education costs.

4) No more welfare or food stamps. For single parent families or families where both parents can’t work b/c of disability. We’ll kick you out on the street and turn our backs on you…cause you know…you probably deserve it.

5) Rich people will get a tax break (because they desperately need it) so they only have to pay negative 25% per year. You know, cause they are job creators and such.

6) Immigration overhaul means that latinos will now be required to work for free if they want to live here…considering points 1-5 but obviously won’t be allowed to vote.

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Colin Ross April 17, 2014 at 10:25 am

Do you know anything about libertarians? Not trying to be snarky just asking?

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Deo Vindice SC April 17, 2014 at 7:57 pm

Forget the baby pic, the tits work for me. Republicans, LOL.

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