SC gubernatorial candidate Haley unveils job plan

The Associated Press August 12, 2010, 8:30AM ET posted on businessweek.com

By SUSANNE M. SCHAFER

COLUMBIA, S.C.

South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley said Wednesday the state must eliminate corporate income taxes and pass comprehensive tax reform in order to lower its seventh-in-the-nation unemployment rate.

During a visit to a marketing and printing firm here, the GOP candidate pledged to work with legislators to “look at all taxes, all fees, all exemptions” and “make sure the very first year we have tax reform rolled out.”

“The goal is to make it a very business-friendly tax structure,” said Haley, who worked as a bookkeeper for her family’s clothing store. “The first thing we want to do is eliminate the corporate income tax.”

For years, legislators have talked about the need for wholesale tax reform without ever accomplishing it. A commission formed by the legislature has come out with a proposal to tax more things while lowering the tax rate. A public hearing on their plan is set for Friday. Haley said she would look at the work they had done. FULL PIECE