COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina is looking to spend big in 2022.
Let's connect the dots.
Governor McMaster laid out his budget proposal to spend $5 billion over the next year.
So where is all that money coming from?
More than $2 billion comes from the American Rescue Plan act and the other $3 billion comes from surplus.
The governor said this presents the Palmetto State with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He wants to invest the money into education, infrastructure, workforce and economic development.
That means raises for state employees, bonuses for bus drivers, a new COVID-19 testing lab, and the big item that will put money back in your pocket: an income tax rate reduction over five years for all personal income tax brackets.
WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions producing I Can’t Afford to Live Here, a collaborative reporting project focused on solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Charlotte. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org.