Sanford's Tuition Credit Bill Is Dead For 2005

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Any hopes for SC Gov. Sanford’s main piece of legislation for 2005, a tuition tax credit bill, passing this year died on a procedural vote in the SC House, Wednesday by a vote of 60-53.  While the bill is not totally dead, the rules of the General Assembly basically assure that it won't see action until 2006, since it would take a 2/3 to put it back on the calendar this year.

Personally, I doubt that it will pass in 2006, so it likely will become a major campaihgn issue for the Governor's race next year.  Even then, the bill at best will have a tough row to hoe in 2007 and the earliest Sanford will be able to start a possible Presidential campiagn will be June 2007, after the Assembly’s  finished its first session.

The way the politics on this are playing out, Sanford has zero chance of winning the Republican nomination in 2008.  Sanford has invested too much political capital into this to back off of it, so he can't start a Presidential run until the bill passes in one form or another, because if he does, the bill wil be DOA in the General Assembly.  I think Sanford touters should be thinking about him a leading candidate for 2012 assuming that the Dems win the White House in ’08.

[TheresNoMoney]

Wow, a Republican policy I agree with! Good for Sanford.

It's not often that a Republican pushes for legislaton that will actually help, and not hurt, average Americans.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I'm someone who is in favor of providing competition to public schools, but I don't like Sanford's bill myself.  As designed, the tax credits are small enough that few who don't already attend private schools would take advantage of them while being large enough to drain a considerable amount of state funds from the budget.  Even worse, the private schools would have 0 accountability under his bill.  Even the Feds require accreditation and financial controls for schools that participate in the Pell grant and Stafford loan programs to help people pay for college.

Sanford’s bill is just a tax cut targeted towards Republicans, not an education bill at all.  That is not to say that tutition tax credits are a totally bad idea, just the version Sanford has put forth.

[A18]

Less people the state has to teach, so I don't see how 'draining' the budget is an issue here.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

It’s a budget drainer, because if this passes, over 90% of those who claim the tax credit would have sent their kids to private schools anyway.

[A18]

Why's he having trouble passing this in South Carolina of all states, anyway?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Wow, he sucks, both branches of the legislature are about 60% Republican.

http://www.ncsl.org/ncsldb/elect98/profile.cfm?yearsel=2004&statesel=SC

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Why's he having trouble passing this in South Carolina of all states, anyway?

1. Education is seen as Democrat issue here.  Tannenbaum should easily win re-election as Superintendant of Education despite her 10 point loss to DeMint last Novemner.
2. Sanford has spent his first two years as Governor antagonizing the Republican-controlled General Assembly, so the Republicans there don’t feel any particular loyalty to support him or his issues.
3. We have had several years of State tax cuts leading to local property tax rises, so voters are extremely skeptical of promises of tax cuts these days.
4. Public school quality here correlates rather well with the size of the tax base.  Our best public schools are in Republican areas and thus have considerable GOP grass roots support.

[A18]

So abolish property taxes. Should be easy.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

So abolish property taxes. Should be easy.

Abolish property taxes here and you abolish local government in South Carolina.  The property tax is just about the only tax that the State allows local governments to have.  The only exception is a local option sales tax, and while it is possible to make sales taxes less regressive, SC’s is actually designed to be more regressive by placing a cap of $300 per item, which means that expensive boats, cars, and other luxury items that will be bought only by the rich are effectively taxed at lower rate than essentials such as food.

[No more McShame]

So abolish property taxes. Should be easy.

Abolish property taxes here and you abolish local government in South Carolina.  The property tax is just about the only tax that the State allows local governments to have.  The only exception is a local option sales tax, and while it is possible to make sales taxes less regressive, SC’s is actually designed to be more regressive by placing a cap of $300 per item, which means that expensive boats, cars, and other luxury items that will be bought only by the rich are effectively taxed at lower rate than essentials such as food.

That's F'd up.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

So abolish property taxes. Should be easy.

Abolish property taxes here and you abolish local government in South Carolina.  The property tax is just about the only tax that the State allows local governments to have.  The only exception is a local option sales tax, and while it is possible to make sales taxes less regressive, SC’s is actually designed to be more regressive by placing a cap of $300 per item, which means that expensive boats, cars, and other luxury items that will be bought only by the rich are effectively taxed at lower rate than essentials such as food.

State and local taxes tend to be very regressive, but usually they're not that blatant. California's are more progressive than most states. We have the rich paying 7%, the middle class 9%, and the poor 11%. Whoops.