Sanford: State can't wait six months on taxes, DOT reform

Gov. Mark Sanford said Tuesday morning that South Carolinians “can’t afford another six months waiting” for lawmakers to act on changes to the Department of Transportation and the state’s workers compensation system.

Hours before lawmakers return to Columbia to try and solve an impasse that blocks agreement of a state budget, Sanford laid out in a press release what he believes to be the stakes.
House leaders have made clear that no DOT reform means no budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, and that means no tax cuts for at least a year.

“There’s no reason in the world that the Legislature shouldn’t be able to provide substantive tax relief to the people of this state,” Sanford said.

And Sanford continued to level his sharpest barbs for the Senate, which he and the House blame for the lack of progress.

“Time after time this year, some in the Senate have resisted reform on each of these fronts, and that’s something that has to change if the General Assembly has any hope of accomplishing what people sent them here to do,” Sanford said.