The Nerve

Comptroller says account will be online By ROBERT MEYEROWITZ Once the state gas tax increase went into effect on the first day of July, money began to flow from it and vehicle sales tax and registration fees through various state agencies to the State Treasurer, en route to… To where, precisely, is the question. The […]

Santee Cooper proposes raising residential rates by almost 10 percent By ROBERT MEYEROWITZ Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility, is notifying customers that it wants to raise its rates by more than 9 percent over the next several years, in part to cover “costs associated with nuclear construction.” The reference is to its share of the $11 […]

We pay more than any other state — but not all of us do By ROBERT MEYEROWITZ In a ranking of states by total energy costs, South Carolina is solidly in the middle, at 24th most expensive. When the costs of electricity, natural gas, motor fuel, and home heating oil are averaged and combined, state […]

Feeling nibbled? Here’s one reason By ROBERT MEYEROWITZ If you shop locally and wonder where the money goes, the Tax Foundation has an explanation. South Carolinians pay the 17th-highest sales taxes in the nation, according to a new midyear report from the nonpartisan think tank. The ranking, arrived at by combining state and a population-weighted average […]

Decision to replace Mike Wooten was made in early May By ROBERT MEYEROWITZ More than two months ago, the office of Governor Henry McMaster was lining up a permanent replacement for former state Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Wooten. When it did, it was guided solely by the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, according […]

Analyst says it’s all been a costly mistake By ROBERT MEYEROWITZ When it comes to spending and infrastructure, one of South Carolina’s great white whales rose from the deep with news last week that the Army Corps of Engineers approved a permit to begin work on the South Carolina leg of I-73. Ultimately, the interstate […]

At the beach, home rule is in the bag By ROBERT MEYEROWITZ One thing we can safely say about the election last November is that it was divisive, or at least that it has done little to heal the country’s divisions. The smoke had barely cleared (some would say it still hasn’t) when Richard Florida, […]

South Carolina’s murky world of tomorrow By ROBERT MEYEROWITZ South Carolina, like every other state, is in the business of building roads. It’s a big business: Four of the top 10 vendors for the state in 2016 were roads contractors, accounting for $175 million in spending alone. And that doesn’t reckon the opportunity cost — […]

Higher ed regrets governor’s veto By ROBERT MEYEROWITZ On Monday, Governor Henry McMaster vetoed a welter of items in the budget that was passed by the legislature last week, including a proviso that touched upon the authority of the Commission on Higher Education. Last week, a Nerve opinion piece, “How to hamstring a watchdog,” laid […]

That goes quintuple for higher ed By ROBERT MEYEROWITZ How big should the public sector be, relative to the private, and how well should it compensate its workers? These are questions that ignite wars among economists and ideologues, but there is some consensus: The average value of pay and benefits in the private sector has […]