It’s time to get the word out about South Carolina’s backwards and out-of-control tax “system.” Please consider using one of the following sample letters-to-the-editor and sending it to your LOCAL newspaper. Feel free to make changes, pick a different one of your favorite exemptions (http://www.roarsc.com/fast-facts), or write your own from whole cloth. The important thing is that you start informing the people in your community that they are paying more than their fair share of taxes while the Legislature in Columbia can hardly balance its budget or provide core, essential services. And all in the name of special interests and arcane bills passed decades ago! So this is ROAR’s modest call to arms… write a letter to your editor!
LETTER ONE
South Carolina has the 15th highest sales tax in the nation (6%). However, if you’re lucky enough to be in the market for a portable toilet, our state only collects taxes on 30% of your new purchase. Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to figuring out WHICH third of the Port-a-john gets taxed!
As ludicrous as this sounds (and IS!), this is only ONE of 89 items our State Legislature exempts from sales taxation. In response to pressures from special interests, South Carolina’s tax code developed piecemeal and bit-by-bit over decades, with no thought given to the system as a whole. At this point, it offends to English language to even call tax collection in South Carolina a “code” or a “system.”
In fact, even with one of the nations HIGHEST sales tax rates, we manage to EXEMPT ($2.7 billion) more in sales revenue than we actually COLLECT ($2.5 billion). This is good news for yachters, the mink coat industry, and the all-powerful portable toilet lobby - but bad news for the average South Carolinian. The South Carolina Tax Realignment Commission (TRAC), commissioned by the State Legislature itself, reported that our state could reduce our sales tax to just 4 or 4.5% by removing just some of these exemptions (and we could cut it in half, by removing all).
Of course, during the last legislative session, the TRAC report simply collected dust on some shelf in the Capitol building. That’s why I’ve joined a grassroots organization, Reduce Our Awful Rates (ROAR) dedicated to pressuring our legislators to finally do something about the mess we’ve created over decades of catering to special interests! To find out more how South Carolina’s backwards and inept tax code is keeping our tax rates high, while our state is broke - hurting the average citizen, burdening small businesses, and keeping new business & jobs out of our state go to www.roarsc.com and find out how you can start ROARing, too!
LETTER TWO
Did you know South Carolina collects NO sales tax on the purchase of twine? That’s great news if you’re in the market for twine, but if your little Johnny wants to buy string to fly his kite, be prepared to pay the nation’s 15th highest sales tax rate!
As ludicrous as this sounds (and IS!), this is just ONE of 89 items our State Legislature exempts from sales taxation. In response to pressures from special interests, South Carolina’s tax code developed piecemeal and bit-by-bit over decades, with no thought given to the system as a whole. At this point, it offends to English language to even call tax collection in South Carolina a “code” or a “system.”
In fact, even with one of the nations HIGHEST sales tax rates, we manage to EXEMPT ($2.7 billion) more in sales revenue than we actually COLLECT ($2.5 billion). This is good news for yachters, the mink coat industry, and the all-powerful twine lobby - but bad news for the average South Carolinian. The South Carolina Tax Realignment Commission (TRAC), commissioned by the State Legislature itself, reported that our state could reduce our sales tax from 6% to just 4 or 4.5% by removing just some of these exemptions (and we could cut it in half, by removing all).
Of course, during the last legislative session, the TRAC report simply collected dust on some shelf in the Capitol building. That’s why I’ve joined a grassroots organization, Reduce Our Awful Rates (ROAR) dedicated to pressuring our legislators to finally do something about the mess we’ve created over decades of catering to special interests! To find out more how South Carolina’s backwards and inept tax code is keeping our tax rates high, while our state is broke - hurting the average citizen, burdening small businesses, and keeping new business & jobs out of our state go to www.roarsc.com and find out how you can start ROARing, too!
LETTER THREE
South Carolina collects the nation’s 15th highest sales tax (6%) on the supplies and equipment bought by coin-operated laundromats. It follows of course that South Carolina also collects – wait, what?! - NO TAXES on the sales of supplies and equipment bought by dry-cleaners.
As ludicrous as this sounds (and IS!), this is just ONE of 89 items our State Legislature exempts from sales taxation. In response to pressures from special interests, South Carolina’s tax code developed piecemeal and bit-by-bit over decades, with no thought given to the system as a whole. At this point, it offends to English language to even call tax collection in South Carolina a “code” or a “system.
In fact, even with one of the nations HIGHEST sales tax rates, we manage to EXEMPT ($2.7 billion) more in sales revenue than we actually COLLECT ($2.5 billion). This is good news for yachters, the mink coat industry, and the all-powerful dry-cleaning lobby - but bad news for the average South Carolinian. The South Carolina Tax Realignment Commission (TRAC), commissioned by the State Legislature itself, reported that our state could reduce our sales tax from 6% to just 4 or 4.5% by removing just some of these exemptions (and we could cut it in half, by removing all).
Of course, during the last legislative session, the TRAC report simply collected dust on some shelf in the Capitol building. That’s why I’ve joined a grassroots organization, Reduce Our Awful Rates (ROAR) dedicated to pressuring our legislators to finally do something about the mess we’ve created over decades of catering to special interests! To find out more how South Carolina’s backwards and inept tax code is keeping our tax rates high, while our state is broke - hurting the average citizen, burdening small businesses, and keeping new business & jobs out of our state go to www.roarsc.com and find out how you can start ROARing, too!
