COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- The South Carolina House will debate a bill that eliminates two dozen sales tax exemptions worth less than $13 million.
The House expects to discuss the bill Thursday. It initially eliminated more than $220 million worth of exemptions when House Republicans introduced it last month. But legislators re-inserted 18 items during the committee process after they heard from affected businesses.
State budget advisors provided an updated estimate Monday.
The bill has a tax-neutral provision, requiring any increased revenue to be offset by lowering the state sales tax.
The committee amendments mean the state's current 6 percent sales tax would be reduced by a small fraction to 5.98 percent.
The House voted Wednesday to send two bills that cut personal and small business income taxes to the Senate.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- A look at sales tax exemptions that would be eliminated under the revised bill up for debate Wednesday, and their estimated worth in 2012-13:
--$3.2 million: Extended service contracts and warranties on vehicles
--$2.1 million: Amusement park rides and parts
--$1.9 million: Supplies and equipment bought by laundries, dry cleaners and carpet cleaners
--$800,000: Non-truck vehicle and motorcycle sales to military service members in SC on orders
--$825,000: Postage paid by advertisers
--$886,400: Cooperative direct mail advertising materials and discount coupons
--$614,000: Paving asphalt products bought in South Carolina and used in another state
--$561,567: Parts and supplies used to repair aircraft
--$374,400: Sweetgrass baskets made by SC artists
--$352,710: Railroad cars, monorail cars and their parts
--$487,220: 70 percent of portable toilet gross rental sales or leases
--$240,000: Building materials and electricity used by a facility researching the impact of natural disasters
--$169,546: Vessels and barges more than 50 tons burden
--$125,000: Depreciable assets used in a business and sold as part of the business
--$60,000: Audio visual masters used by a production company
--$58,116: Property sold to the public through a sheriff's sale
--$40,000: Clothing for working in a "cleanroom" environment
--$38,979: Curbside disposal collection bags when local governments require them
--$36,000: Museum purchases and exhibition rentals
--$7,500: Copies of legislation to the public
--$4,290: Plants and animal sales to public zoos and gardens
--$0: Sales tax holiday on energy-efficient home products costing less than $2,500*
*Law creating the exemption was declared unconstitutional by SC Supreme Court
Sources: SC Board of Economic Advisors, April 23 update
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)