Issue Position: Taxes

Issue Position

South Carolina has the highest assessment rate in the country for industrial property taxes at 10.5%. Large manufacturers are able to negotiate Fee-In-Lieu-of-Tax (FILOT) arrangements to help reduce this burden. However, small and medium-sized manufacturers do not have similar leverage and must weigh the impact of increased property taxes with each expansion consideration. This can limit growth and needs to be revised.

South Carolina has the 13th highest personal income tax rate in the country. This rate is too high and in fact is higher than the SC corporate tax rate. This places an unfair burden on small business owners for whom business profits are usually taxed at the higher personal income tax rate. I will work to reduce our personal and corporate income taxes and support sensible and fair flat tax proposals.

To continue to attract business investment to our community and state, it is critical that we maintain our roads and vital infrastructure. Unfortunately, many of our roads and bridges are rated as either in need of repair or structurally deficient - creating a safety risk, unnecessary expense reimbursing motorists for damage, and poor representation of our state. I am committed to reforming the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and working with members of both the state House and Senate to pass a highway funding plan that fixes our roads and provides sustainable funding for future maintenance.

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