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by WILL FOLKS
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Mere weeks after signing a $378 million pork barrel spending bill – and using his veto pen to restore a $150 million crony capitalist bailout to the state’s largest-ever budget – governor Henry McMaster is steadfastly refusing to address worsening conditions at the gas pump for millions of South Carolinians.
McMaster, a purported “Republican” and staunch ally of U.S. president Donald Trump, rejected multiple bipartisan proposals aimed at providing relief to Palmetto State motorists – claiming they would imperil infrastructure spending or ill-advisedly tap reserve funds.
S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson – the GOP nominee for governor of the Palmetto State – has proposed allowing future governors to suspend the state’s gas tax for up to 120 days during periods of peak price increases like the one we are currently experiencing. Meanwhile, Jordan Pace – the leader of South Carolina’s fiscally conservative Freedom Caucus – has proposed targeted tax rebates totaling more than $500 million to offset the growing pain at the pump.
Both proposals would require the support of the ostensibly “Republican” S.C. General Assembly, which has consistently shown an aversion to substantive tax relief as it balloons state spending to unprecedented levels.
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Multiple Republican and Democrat officials have previously called for suspending the state’s 28.75-cent fuel levy, beginning with Democrat senator Russell Ott back in March. Democrat U.S. senate nominee Annie Andrews has also proposed suspending the nation’s 18.4-cent tax on gasoline and its 24.4-cent tax on diesel amid the ongoing surge in prices.
McMaster would have to convene an emergency session of the legislature to address proposals impacting the state gas tax – something he made clear he is disinclined to do at the moment.
“We don’t want to short ourselves for the future,” McMaster told reporters Michael Owens and Stephen Biddix of Gray Media, insisting the spike in gasoline prices was “temporary.”
“We’re hoping it’s going to be temporary, because it fluctuates, goes up and down,” McMaster added.
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RELATED | GAS TAX SPILLS OVER INTO U.S. SENATE RACE
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As for tapping state reserve funds, McMaster indicated he would be leery of doing that – even though S.C. comptroller general candidate Mike Burkhold revealed earlier this week that state agencies were sitting on $3.17 billion in unspent, carry-forward funding from the previous (fiscal year 2025-2026) state budget.
Pace and the Freedom Caucus proposed funding their rebates from that pot of money, while Wilson’s proposed gas tax suspension would be paid for out of the state’s reserve funds – which totaled $1.2 billion as of June 30, 2026.
According to McMaster, though, it’s too risky to tap reserve funds.
“That money is typically only reserved for crises and emergencies, and we better be careful what we spend that on,” the governor said. “I don’t know that we’ve reached that point.”
McMaster isn’t the only “Republican” leader pouring cold water on gas tax relief. Previously, powerful S.C. speaker of the House Murrell Smith and ways and means chairman Bruce Bannister have blocked efforts to suspend gas taxes.
FITSNews supports Wilson’s proposal to give future governors emergency authority to suspend the gas tax – and we support Pace’s proposal to provide immediate relief in the form of rebates. Earlier this week, we urged McMaster to call an emergency session of the S.C. General Assembly and use his bully pulpit to push lawmakers to accomplish these two objectives.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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2 comments
It was nice of Foghorn to explain what fluctuates means… However, he is correct our roads are so F^<%ed up that we can't afford to give up a dime in highway taxes – now let's address the other part of the equation. Let's start actually fixing the roads!
Highway 9 runs from The Barnacle Gift Shop in dirty Myrtle thru Pageland, Lancaster and Chester to eventually crosse Sparkle City on its way into North Carolina. The entire length is alligatored, potholed, poorly marked, poorly lit and as a result it has the highest death rate in the state.
Highway 6 runs from Moncks corner along Lakes Marion and Moultrie all the way to Ballentine on Lake Murray. When I have the time, it's my favorite way to avoid the traffic on I-26 south of Columbia, rural and transecting some of the most beautiful land in the sandhills. It's a pleasant ride at a slower pace – except, again, it's pot-holed, alligatored and extremely narrow along its entire length. SC-6 is also the second deadliest road in the state.
Honorable mention goes to SC Highways 34, 20 (another pretty ride) and 41, the 3rd, 4th and 5th deadliest roads in the state.
I-85 in South Carolina is ranked as the 5th deadliest highway in the US but good old I-95 is ranked as Number 1 (Ain’t you proud! We’re number 1, we’re number 1!) I-95 averages 30 fatalities a year because of its poor design, poor maintenance and poor lighting (somewhere in that list idiot SC drivers should be added).
When the Republicans become as bad or worse than real Democrats, it is time to vote for the real Democrats. In South Carolina, so many of our Republican politicians are “former” Democrats (just like DJT) who still think and act like Democrats. It is time to punish the Republican Party for cursing us with shit like McMaster, Graham, and many others. I plan to vote mostly Democrat in November, except for State Treasurer. Curtis Loftis is one of the very few real Republicans we have left and he will definitely get my vote. As for the others, piss in them all!