COLUMBIA, S.C. — Attorney General Alan Wilson, the Republican nominee for governor, rolled out a cost-of-living platform on Thursday that centers on taxes, fuel, insurance and power bills.
The biggest promise is to do away with the state income tax while reworking how South Carolina taxes property. Wilson also wants to trim state spending through what he calls a Families First Audit Initiative aimed at fraud and waste, and he pledged to veto lawmakers pet projects.
On fuel, the plan would let a governor pause the gas tax for as long as 120 days. Wilson first floated that idea in September, when his campaign asked the General Assembly to grant the power during a run-up in pump prices tied to fighting in the Strait of Hormuz. AAA data at the time showed South Carolina prices climbing 15 cents in a single week.
Wilson was not alone then. Freedom Caucus Chairman Jordan Pace, a Berkeley County Republican, urged legislators to come back to Columbia and send households gas tax rebates of $200 to $300.
Property tax pieces of the new agenda include signing seniors up for the homestead exemption automatically, widening that exemption for disabled veterans, changing Act 388 so rental properties are not taxed at a higher rate and easing personal property taxes on commercial businesses.
For insurance, Wilson proposes using the Department of Insurance auditing authority to publicly review rate increases, with quarterly briefings to the governor and yearly public reports on major carriers. He also called for more competition and new energy production to hold down utility rates, and for the Department of Commerce to strike better deals with corporations.
Wilson faces Democratic nominee Rep. Jermaine Johnson, who issued a response to the plan, in the race for governor.
Section: More Clemson SC politics news
