SC Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler's response to the Governor's veto:

“These vetoes show Mark Sanford’s blatant disregard for South Carolina’s working families. I don’t think our governor understands that not everyone can afford health insurance and that our former state employees are financially dependent on their retirement checks,” said Fowler. “Governor Sanford should do a better job of meeting the needs of all South Carolina citizens instead of only looking after the interests of his wealthy friends in the Lowcountry.

“It has been said, ‘The moral test of government is how that government treats those in the dawn of life, the children; the twilight of life, the elderly; and those in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.’ By vetoing these very important pieces of legislation, Governor Sanford fails that moral test miserably. I call on all of South Carolina’s legislators to work in a bipartisan fashion to override these vetoes. Our children and the retirees who dedicated their professional lives to our state deserve better.”

Gee - what if increased cigarette taxes work? The stuff gets so expensive that demand falls. Then, you make LESS money from the tax. So, what do you do? Why, like Connecticut, you RAISE it EVEN FURTHER. You claim you are going to have 'smoker education programs,' which also work, so fewer people smoke, which cuts your revenue even further. Sin taxes are fine, so long as they do not become confiscatory. CT has a $3 per pack tax. Goes up every year.

Next, if you give government more money, its like crack, it just wants more until it gets so big you can no longer control it.

Here's the skinny on rich guys with Boats and Airplanes. These guys use mechanics, buy fuel, food at docks, along with ice, drinks and liquor. They pay personal property taxes and fees to dock boats or hangar their airplanes. ALL that money goes into other guys pockets who hire people to provide the services those 'rich' guys use.

Raise my taxes and its that top end stuff I cut out first. Lower them, and I'll do more of it. Lower my taxes and maybe I'll sell that house and buy a new one, generating some tax revenue. Maybe I'll buy a new boat, or car, sell some stock at a profit since I'm not getting killed in taxes. Who benefits? The car salesman, or boat dock, restaurants and hotels and small merchants in places like Beaufort. You raise taxes and you lose the tourists who take a quick romantic weekend in Beaufort and who pay top dollar for all the fancy-schmancy B&B's in town. The restaurants lose money, the inns lose money, the high priced tourist shoppes lose money and pretty soon Beaufort has lots more empty stores. Empty stores breed crime, which gives the town a reputation.

RAISING taxes NEVER raises revenue for more than the first year. After that revenue growth is ALWAYs lower than mean economic growth because the upper tier income folks can hire accountant and lawyers to hide their income or turn it into something else. . .

The EZ solution here UCB is to NOT raise the cigarette tax and reduce other spending to make up the deficit. Thats what you do in your own home - when gas is $3.75 a gallon you either buy less of it or you don't buy something else.

Senator John C. Land, III, Senate Democratic Leader said:

“Once again Governor Sanford was given an opportunity to show leadership on an issue that affects all South Carolinians and once again he has failed. Signing this bill into law should have been a no-brainer for the governor. But I guess counting on Sanford doing something logical would be giving him too much credit.”

Senator Joel Lourie of Richland and Kershaw Counties said:

“It’s a sad day when the governor of this state puts his own ideology above the health, well-being, and desires of the people of South Carolina. This initiative is about fighting cancer, saving lives and preventing young people from becoming tobacco users. We hope our friends in the House will override this veto and the Senate will do the same.”

Senator Darrell Jackson of Richland County said:

“It really is frustrating to see something that would have helped so many of our citizens get stopped because of one man’s personal philosophy. Health care is an issue that affects us all and this plan would have gone a long way to creating access to affordable health care for more South Carolinians. The House needs to step up and override this veto.”

The House failed to overturn a veto issued by Gov. Mark Sanford Tuesday, killing a 50 cents a pack cigarette tax advocates say would have helped 80,000 South Carolinians attain health care.

Sanford vetoed the tax because he wanted the Legislature to cut taxes elsewhere by an equal amount. The House failed to uphold the veto because it could not agree on how the estimated $159 million would be spent.

House lawmakers engaged in hours of heated debate that centered on race and class divisions. Some House members supporting the veto did not want the money to go toward expanding Medicaid, which pays for health care for the poor.

http://thestatecom.typepad.com/ygatoday/2008/05/cigarette-tax-2.html

Gov. Sanford made a smart move holding down the cigarette tax. What people forget in their zeel to get at the tobacco companies is that people actually smoke cigarettes. If your well off the price increase is almost unoticable, but if your low income and smoke a pack a day or even worse two it will cost. The cost is more than just a few dollars a week. Some states are around two dollars a pack. If you multiply two times seven, thats fourteen dollars a week, and yes thats seven hundred and twenty eight dollars tax on someone a year who is low income? Even at three hundred and sixty eight dollars a one pack a day is a major tax increase to low income folks. Has the left forgotten that people are addicted to cigarettes and will not quit? Some people actually enjoy relaxing. Who have the democrats become in their attacks on the tobacco industry?
There is also a silver lining to what Gov. Sanford is doing that may actually net an increase in cigarette tax revenues, people from out of state will buy more cigarettes in South Carolina. this will increase the tax revenues considerably while leaving the low income folks alone and allowing them to keep more of their own money to purchase things like food and clothing for their children.