After 3 years, the South Carolina FairTax Act (H-3116) is finally receiving a House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing. We want you to attend the hearing Wed., May 29 at 9 am in the Blatt Building (probably Rm. 521) at Assembly and Pendleton in Columbia.

The subcommittee members are Representatives Rita Allison (Chair, R-Spartanburg County), Gary Simrill (R-York), Murrell Smith (R-Sumter), Leon Stavrinakis (D-Charleston) and Lonnie Hosey (D-Barnwell).

The purpose of the hearing is to inform the subcommittee members on how the FairTax legislation works and the economic benefits of not having a state income tax.

Please make it a point to attend and invite your State Representative to attend and learn about the South Carolina FairTax plan! Hope to see you on May 29!

Many people don’t like reading about things but will watch short video clips.  Last week, videographers Larry Brewer and Cynthia Altizer recorded people talking about how eliminating the state income tax would help their families or their businesses.  Please click on these 3 short videos in the link below, watch them and share them on Facebook and Twitter!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SN7tmtVv7GAoSMAEzEwUw

In other news, I had an opportunity to meet with House Ways and Means Chair Brian White last week, and he agreed to schedule a hearing on the South Carolina FairTax Act on May 14, 15 or 16.  The subcommittee members are Representatives Rita Allison (Chair, Spartanburg County), Gary Simrill (York), Murrell Smith (Sumter), Leon Stavrinakis (Charleston) and Lonnie Hosey (Barnwell).

You can contact any member of the House by e-mailing FirstLast@SCHouse.gov.  For example, if you wanted to ask Rep. Stavrinakis for his support, e-mail him at LeonStavrinakis@SCHouse.gov . Always be polite and offer specific reasons why passing the South Carolina FairTax Act (H-3116) would help your family or business and our state!

Keep communicating with your friends, neighbors and State Legislators.  The word is getting out on how the South Carolina FairTax will create prosperity!

John Steinberger

April 16th, 11:30am – Columbia

Frustration over our inefficient income tax system usually reaches a peak the day after the Apr. 15 filing deadline, especially for those who just had to write a big check to the government!

We will use that moment to hold a Tax Day Hangover press conference Tues., Apr. 16 at 11:30 in Columbia at the Capitol Rotunda.

We will be joined by most of our South Carolina FairTax Act (H-3116/S-185) co-sponsors.

Please make it a point to make the trip to Columbia Apr. 16 and send a message that we need to eliminate our state income tax to enable more prosperity for South Carolina families and businesses. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and the Governors of North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska are making national headlines for calling for the elimination of their state income taxes.

Please call Gov. Nikki Haley at 803-734-2100 and invite her to stand with us on Apr. 16!

11 new co-sponsors signed on to the South Carolina FairTax Act (H-3116) in the House Wed., Feb. 6, bring the total to 49. The South Carolina FairTax Act eliminates the state income taxes and replaces our current sales tax code with a 6% sales tax on all new goods and services. Business purchases used to produce goods and services, purchases for education and training, and purchases of used goods will be exempt from the sales tax.
Lead sponsor Rep. Bill Taylor proclaimed, “Another good day for the S.C. FairTax Act! Accolades to Representatives Andy Patrick (Beaufort County), Phillip Lowe (Florence), Bill Whitemire (Oconee), Eddie Southard (Berkeley), Chip Limehouse (Charleston), Peter McCoy (Charleston), Liston Barfield (Horry), Craig Gagnon (Abbeville), Phyllis Henderson (Greenville), Eddie Tallon (Spartanburg) and Derham Cole (Spartanburg) for supporting a tax system that will be more fair and make South Carolina the most business-friendly state in America. FairTax = JOBS!”

The South Carolina FairTax Act (H-3116) gained momentum in the House Tues., Feb. 5, as 25 co-sponsors were added! South Carolina is in a race with North Carolina, Louisianna, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma to join the 9 other states with no income tax.
The South Carolina FairTax Act eliminates the 7% personal income tax and the 5% corporate income tax and changes the sales tax code to a 6% sales tax on all new goods and services. Purchases made by businesses to produce goods and services, purchases for education and training and purchases of used goods will be exempt from the sales tax.
The lead sponsors for the House bill are Representatives Bill Taylor (Aiken County), Eric Bedingfield (Greenville) and Tracy Edge (Horry). The co-sponsors added Feb. 5 are Representatives Murrell Smith (Sumter County), Jay Lucas (Darlington), Greg Delleney (Chester), Ralph Kennedy (Lexington), Chip Huggins (Lexington), Wendy Nanney (Greenville), Bill Chumley (Spartanburg), Doug Brannon (Spartanburg), Mike Pitts (Laurens), Mark Willis (Greenville), Mac Toole (Lexington), Tommy Pope (York), Rick Quinn (Lexington), Kenny Bingham (Lexington), Dennis Moss (Cherokee), Alan Clemmons (Horry), Joshua Putnam (Anderson), Garry Smith (Greenville), Dan Hamilton (Greenville), Steve Moss (Cherokee), Rita Allison (Spartanburg) and Mike Forrester (Spartanburg).
Previous co-sponsors include Representatives Joe Daning (Berkeley County), Don Wells (Aiken), Deborah Long (Lancaster), Nelson Hardwick (Horry), Kit Spires (Lexington), Mike Sottile (Charleston), Roland Smith (Aiken), Bill Hixon (Aiken), Gary Simrill (York), Todd Atwater (Lexington), Samuel Rivers (Berkeley) and Donna Wood (Spartanburg).

Rep. Bill Taylor (Aiken County) announced that 6 new co-sponsors were added to the South Carolina FairTax Act (H-3116) Wednesday. Rep. Taylor is a primary sponsor of this legislation, which eliminates South Carolina’s income taxes, along with Rep. Eric Bedingfield (Greenville) and Tracy Edge (Horry).

The new co-sponsors are Representatives Mike Sottile (Charleston County), Nelson Hardwick (Horry), Kit Spires (Lexington), Roland Smith (Aiken), Bill Hixon (Aiken) and Gary Simrill (York).

Previous South Carolina FairTax Act co-sponsors include Representatives Don Wells (Aiken), Deborah Long (Lancaster) and Joe Daning (Berkeley).

A new session of the South Carolina General Assembly convened Tues., Jan. 8 and the South Carolina FairTax Act (H-3116/S-185) was re-introduced.

The lead sponsors on the House Bill (H-3116) are Representatives Bill Taylor (Aiken County), Eric Bedingfield (Greenville), and Tracy Edge (Horry). It currently has co-sponsors Joe Daning (Berkeley), Don Wells (Aiken) and Deborah Long (Lancaster).

The Senate bill (S-185) lead sponsors are Senators Larry Grooms (Berkeley County) and Kevin Bryant (Anderson).

Please locate your State Representative and State Senator at www.scfairtax.org/how-you-can-help/ and ask them to co-sponsor the South Carolina FairTax Act! Let them know that it will increase your take-home pay by hundreds each month and allow our small businesses to expand and hire!

I received a “Stop the Tax Hike” email from my Congressional Representative Tim Scott today. Tim is proud to be a member of the Republican coalition promoting the “Stop the Tax Hike” campaign launched last Friday, July 27, 2012. I applaud Tim and his fellow members of Congress who are truly serious about meaningful, beneficial tax reform. However I side with those who believe the current tax system, just like Obamacare, cannot be fixed, but should be repealed altogether! Any discussion of tax reform MUST INCLUDE the FairTax as a viable solution. The FairTax isn’t just an idea. It is actual proposed legislation co-sponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives as HR.25 by Rep. Tim Scott R-SC, and co-sponsored in the U.S. Senate as S.13 by Sen. Jim DeMint R-SC. I’m going to take the liberty of editorializing the 4 bullet points included in Rep. Scott’s email from a FairTax perspective.

1. Simplify the Tax Code: The first step must be to flatten and lower both corporate and individual tax rates. By simplifying the tax code, and easing the burden on businesses and individuals, we can help jump start the economy and get Americans back to work.
1. FairTax: Nothing is simpler or flatter than the FairTax. There will be no income tax burden on individuals, small businesses, or corporations at all! The FairTax eliminates the IRS COMPLETELY!

2. Eliminate the Death Tax: People work their whole lives just to have an opportunity to leave something to their children when they pass on. When you consider income tax, capital gains tax, property tax, sales tax, and the myriad other government “fees” these individuals have paid over the course of the lifetime, it’s clear that the government has gotten more than its fair share of their assets. Yet the federal government immorally taxes them again upon death! The death tax must be eliminated as a matter of fundamental fairness.
2. FairTax: The FairTax eliminates the Death Tax!

3. Move To a Territorial Tax System, and Allow Repatriation: By taxing only income earned within its borders, the United States would become more competitive in the global economy. Also, by reducing the tax rate on repatriated assets, the United States would free up cash that would otherwise be trapped overseas. The flow of dollars back into this country would stimulate the economy, provide jobs, and encourage investment inside the United States.
3. FairTax: The FairTax eliminates ALL income taxation within the United States! I’m all in favor of the repatriation of assets currently held overseas.

4. Lower the Overall Tax Rates: It’s simple economics. Lowering tax rates encourages economic growth, creating more wealth and therefore more overall tax revenue. By making the pie bigger, everyone wins – including the federal government.
4. FairTax: The FairTax Prebate completely untaxes all legal heads of households up to the poverty level. All Federal withholding disappears from a wage earners pay stub. Withholding from and taxation of 401k and IRA distributions, savings accounts and investment portfolios stop! Business is no longer income taxed. Economic growth will boom throughout the economy generating wealth above and beyond savings and reinvestment. This additional wealth will be spent by consumers benefitting from the new goods and services brought to market by entrepreneurs unbridled from a business stifling income tax. The undocumented “cash economy” of petty thieves and career criminals joins the tax pool as wealth is taxed vs. income. The unseen imbedded corporate and business taxes that are reflected in today’s retail pricing will go away enabling actual price reductions for most retail goods.

Please spend a minute calling and/or writing Congressman Scott thanking him for co-sponsoring the FairTax HR.25. Encourage him and all members of Congress to promote the FairTax as the means of reaching the four tax reform goals he and his coalition are working to achieve.

Roy Jessup

Berkeley County
Westview #1

Another legislative year has passed and South Carolina is still saddled with a job-killing 7% personal income tax rate.  It is time to start talking to our elected leaders about making the South Carolina FairTax Act a legislative priority in 2013.

We have a consumer-driven economy.  The best way to enable businesses to grow and attract new ones is to empower South Carolina families to keep more of their earnings.  Under the South Carolina FairTax Act, a family of 4 with $55,000 in taxable income would realize a $428 increase in take-home pay each month.  That increased spending power will expand the market for our small businesses.

Please call Gov. Nikki Haley’s office at 803-734-2100 and Speaker Bobby Harrell’s office at 843-572-1500 ask ask them to make the South Carolina FairTax Act a priority in 2013.  We will not settle for more high unemployment and stagnant or declining incomes!

We have to make South Carolina a good place to own a business; that means reforming our tax code – beginning with eliminating the small business income tax – so it is flatter and fairer and no longer places so much of the burden on the small businesses that drive our economy. South Carolina Fair Tax Act will encourage economic activity; lower, flatten taxes rates. South Carolina taxes payers will be able to keep more of the money they earn and it will keep the tax structure stable so that investor and entrepreneurs are confronted with constantly shifting tax rules. The Fair Tax Act simplifies the tax system; lower tax rates so that taxation becomes an instrument for promoting economic growth.

Dr. Samuel Rivers
House District 15 Candidate (Berkeley, Charleston)