Updated on August 23, 2017 by South Carolina Policy Council
WHY NOT JUST DEREGULATE? Ronald Reagan used to tell a joke that went like this: “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” Members of the South Carolina House have taken the …
Updated on August 23, 2017 by South Carolina Policy Council
HOW A SIMPLE, WELL-INTENDED REGULATION TURNED INTO A TANGLED MESS Earlier this year, a report at The Nerve detailed an attempt by a few lawmakers to insert a budget proviso into the state budget. This proviso – a one-year budget law – would effectively limit the number of brick-and-mortar liquor stores a person or company …
Updated on March 27, 2017 by South Carolina Policy Council
WE CAN’T HAVE UNLICENSED INTERPRETERS OUT THERE! You probably didn’t know this, but South Carolina apparently has a problem with unlicensed sign language interpreters. That’s right – using sign language to interpret audible messages without a license. Fortunately, Sen. Katrina Shealy has introduced S. 548 to combat this problem. This bill would license, regulate, and …
Updated on March 11, 2016 by South Carolina Policy Council
SOUTH CAROLINA IS A RIGHT-TO-WORK STATE. DOES THAT MEAN SOUTH CAROLINIANS ARE FREE TO WORK? NOT ENTIRELY. South Carolina’s status as a right-to-work state is often credited by government officials as the reason business is attracted to our state. But there’s something troubling about the way they talk about that status. The right to work, …
Updated on January 20, 2017 by South Carolina Policy Council
WHY TAXES AND FEES ON PARTICULAR INDUSTRIES PROTECT ESTABLISHED COMPANIES AND STIFLE INNOVATION Companion bills S.862 and H.4329 would stipulate that a third party that makes an accommodation reservation and accepts an accommodation charge is liable for the payment of accommodation taxes. That “third party” could be a rental agent, an online travel company, or …
Updated on July 17, 2015 by South Carolina Policy Council
LAWMAKERS HAD A CHANCE TO ADVANCE ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN SOUTH CAROLINA. THEY MISSED IT. Lawmakers have introduced a number of bills this session designed to clear up the legality of ride-sharing services in South Carolina, and all of them have accepted the premise that the industry needs state regulation rather than freedom from it. Rather …
Updated on March 17, 2015 by South Carolina Policy Council
More often than not, state regulation – especially licensing laws – has little to do with protecting the public and everything to do with insulating currently entrenched businesses from competition. Consider S.160, legislation that would require the licensure of all third-party funeral service providers. Is anyone harmed by unlicensed funeral services? Almost certainly not, but …
Updated on March 5, 2015 by South Carolina Policy Council
SOUTH CAROLINA’S REGULATORY REGIME DOESN’T PROTECT CONSUMERS, PLACES UNACCOUNTABLE POWER IN THE HANDS OF A FEW POLITICIANS, AND OUGHT TO BE ROLLED BACK – STARTING WITH THE TAXI INDUSTRY. HERE’S HOW TO DO IT. The ride-sharing service company Uber began operating in South Carolina in the summer of 2014. As the company usually does when it expands …
Updated on July 31, 2014 by South Carolina Policy Council
WE’RE ALL THE BENEFICIARIES OF CREATIVE DESTRUCTION In recent weeks, taxi services have protested in Washington D.C., Boston, London, and elsewhere over the existence of ride-sharing services like Uber (or Uberx), Lyft, and Sidecar. These latter companies, it’s alleged, are taking customers traditional taxis would otherwise assist.And since they’re not taxi services in the ordinary …
Updated on July 15, 2014 by South Carolina Policy Council
REGULATION STUNTS OUR ECONOMY AND HURTS CONSUMERS. HERE’S WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. South Carolina, like the rest of America, is suffering from burdensome regulation on individuals and businesses. But while every state suffers from excessive regulation from Washington, South Carolina is actually adding to the burden, not easing it. Virtually everyone in “red …