South Carolina

South Carolina Exempts Poor Families from the Income Tax

 

South Carolina’s 1999 income tax threshold — the income level at which families begin paying income tax:	Ranking among 42 states with income taxes
For two-parent families of four: $18,200.	20th highest (tie)
For single-parent families of three: $14,600.	19th highest (tie)
South Carolina’s 1999 income tax on working-poor and near-poor families:
No tax on families with incomes at the poverty line ($17,028 for family of four, $13,290 for family of three).
No tax on families of three or four with full-time minimum-wage earnings ($10,712).
For families of four with incomes at 125% of the poverty line ($21,285): $81.	15th lowest (tie)
For families of three with incomes at 125% of the poverty line ($16,613): $51.	17th lowest
South Carolina has consistently exempted families with below-poverty earnings from the income tax. Because South Carolina’s tax threshold for families of four has risen during the 1990s, the threshold has remained above the poverty line (see chart). In 1991, a family of four owed no tax until its income reached 3 percent above the poverty line. South Carolina’s tax threshold is now 7 percent above the poverty line.