Our View: On helping others, tax collection and SC prioritization
Bob Koch, some of us might think your bucket list is a bit much, but you surely deserve a thumbs up for turning high-risk adventures into financial pluses for deserving organizations.
Koch was featured earlier this week in a story about his plans to paddle more than 1,000 miles of shoreline along the Mississippi River. But why simply fulfill a personal wish-list item when you can turn it into a fundraiser? Koch did that when he hiked the Appalachian Trail, raising dollars for Mercy Flight, and now his paddling will raise money for The Boys and Girls Club of the Lakelands Region.
Against all odds? Well, apparently not.
People who have boosted sales tax collections in Greenwood County get a thumbs up because at this point it appears the county’s projected tax collection total to fund a number of capital projects is closer to fruition.
At one point, the voter-approved Capital Project Sales Tax initiative appeared to be headed toward a substantial shortfall, as much as $20 million, which would have stymied about a third of the initiatives intended to be funded. However, collections are apparently humming along well and if there is a shortfall, it might be closer to $4 million, which would likely mean only one project would be put on hold.
And that’s a good thing.
What’s the new state flag gonna look like? When can CWP holders walk around with their guns exposed? Who can compete in boys’ sports? Girls’ sports?
As the state legislative session winds down, those seem to be more important matters than, say, closing the Charleston loophole to allow for more effective gun buyer background checks.
They’re more important than addressing state poverty and jobs. They’re more important than focusing more on our state’s public education system and the need to ensure all South Carolina children are getting at least a “minimally adequate” education, per the state constitution, when they all should be afforded far more than minimally adequate.
Please, lawmakers, focus more on what is truly in the best interest of the state overall and less on what will get a few constituents fired up and you reelected. That’s not a blanket assessment of lawmakers, but all too often it’s easy to see where priorities go astray.
With that said, we’ll point the thumb sideways. We haven’t seen the final results, so some in Columbia will likely get a thumbs up, some a thumbs down.
Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Apr 30, 2021