Over the last few weeks, Palmetto Promise has been hosting a little bracket competition of our own. And no, I’m not talking about the office March Madness pool that Dr. Oran Smith unfortunately won… We’ve been asking our readers to vote for the items on our Palmetto Freedom Agenda they feel are most important to
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COLUMBIA, SC — A new economic impact study by the Palmetto Promise Institute and the Buckeye Institute predicts that passage of the Republican income tax bill (H.4216) could expand South Carolina’s economy dramatically. According to Zachary D. Cady, Associate Economist at the Buckeye Institute’s Economic Research Center, analysis of the bill found
Palmetto Promise Institute, in collaboration with The Buckeye Institute, has conducted an economic impact study of H.4216, a proposal by the state’s Republicans leaders to move South Carolina’s highest-in-the-southeast income tax to a flat 3.99% rate, based on Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Our findings, detailed below, show how South Carolina’s economy would benefit from the
This afternoon, the South Carolina House of Representatives unanimously passed S.2, the bill to restructure South Carolina’s fragmented health agencies. The legislation takes three siloed behavioral health agencies—the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, and the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services—into one, cohesive Department of Behavioral Health
We are down to our Final Four. For the last few weeks, we have asked you, our readers, to cast your votes among the policies proposed in our Palmetto Freedom Agenda, which outlines Palmetto Promise’s top legislative priorities for 2025-26. With some hard-fought matchups and close losses, we have finally advanced to the Final Four,
As a CPA and tax professional with over 30 years of experience, I’ve seen firsthand how tax policy impacts people’s lives, businesses, and the broader economy. That’s why I strongly support the proposed income tax cut (H.4216) currently under consideration in South Carolina. Is it perfect? No. But it’s a strong, responsible step in the
On March 20, President Trump signed an executive order calling for removal of cabinet status for the U.S. Department of Education (ED). This announcement has made waves in the media, and lots of disinformation has been going around about just what this order means. So how does the Trump executive order on downgrading the U.S.
Energy policy has long been a balancing act between market competition and regulatory oversight. Traditionally, South Carolina’s electricity market has been dominated by vertically integrated, monopoly utilities that control all three aspects of the power system—generation, transmission, and distribution. So, the Palmetto State has leaned toward regulation. But a relatively simple and proven reform is
“We should not expect the state to appear in the guise of an extravagant good fairy at christening, a loquacious companion at every stage of life’s journey and the unknown mourner at every funeral.” —Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in
This op-ed by Dr. Oran Smith was originally published in the SC Daily Gazette. It is no secret that South Carolina has become a magnet for business, industry, and people. Since 2007, our population has grown by over one million, and the U-Hauls keep coming. The in-migration boom includes manufacturing and high-tech industries as well. This generational change
