To My District 24 Neighbors:
Today, we kick off a big week that could have a big impact on your wallet. I want you all to know the details as we start these significant debates.
Tax Conformity
I received a number of emails from your after my update last week with questions about Tax Conformity — which is about aligning state tax code with the federal tax code. In this case, the tax credits from President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill are not reflected in state taxes. We were waiting for the Senate to finish their work on the income tax cut legislation (more on that below). It wasn’t addressed in there, so my committee prepared a resolution that will align our tax codes for 2025. That’ll help everyone for this tax filing season.
The bill is set for special order when the budget is complete later this week. I expect we will pass it and send it to the Senate by Friday.
State Budget
As chairman of the Ways & Means Committee, the state budget is the biggest bill I’m responsible for each year. We begin debate on the $15 billion state budget this afternoon. Our budget delivers a strong, conservative plan focused on growth, infrastructure, and tax relief. This balanced budget raises teacher pay, provides a 2% pay increase for state employees, expands school choice through additional funding for the Education Scholarship Trust Fund, and delivers approximately $1 billion in tax relief, including income and property tax relief for families and seniors. The budget also makes major investments in roads, rural infrastructure, higher education, and workforce development to keep South Carolina competitive and prepared for continued growth.
Income Tax
We have worked hard over the past several years to reduce the income tax burden on our friends and neighbors. South Carolina’s tax rate is the highest in the Southeast and we’ve heard from you that our state budget surpluses need to be used to reduce it. In 2022, we passed the first law to reduce our income tax, and last year I authored legislation to continue decreasing the rate to 5.39% (down from 7% when we started) — and put us on a path to zero. I’ll write more about this next week when we finish considering the Senate’s proposal.
The income tax bill is also set for special order once we are finished with the budget, which will cap of a very busy week in Columbia.
I appreciate the opportunity to represent you in Columbia. If you have questions about these issues or other legislation before the General Assembly, do not hesitate to reach out. While I can’t respond to every e-mail I receive, I assure you that every email is read, your comments help ensure that I am representing your needs effectively, and I always try to reach back out to residents of District 24.
You can reach me directly at bruce@brucebannister.com or via any of the means below.
Bruce Bannister
S.C. House of Representatives – District 24
Gower-Augusta Road-Alta Vista-Hollingsworth Park-Mauldin
brucebannister@schouse.gov (official email)
bruce@brucebannister.com (campaign email)
Statehouse Phone: (803) 734-3144
Keep up with the SC House Republican Caucus:
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https://www.schousegop.com
