Calls to suspend SC gas tax are populist politics at worst

Look no further than all this posturing about suspending South Carolina’s gas tax for a great lesson in politics.

It is a clear illustration of the difference between running for public office and holding public office.

For months, Democrats and Republicans alike have proposed a temporary suspension of South Carolina’s gas tax of 28.75 cents per gallon. Democratic state lawmakers filed multiple pieces of legislation to do so back in the spring, and they found unlikely allies in the Republican Party’s Freedom Caucus.

Republican governor nominee Alan Wilson recently said Gov. Henry McMaster should call the Legislature into session to do just that, even though he lacks the authority to do so. And Dr. Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, has even called for temporarily halting the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal gas tax.

No surprise that nearly every person who has suggested a suspension of the gas tax will appear on the November ballot. As The Post and Courier’s Nick Reynolds reports, it’s popular populist politics, as the average price for a gallon of gas in South Carolina is $4.08, according to AAA Fuel Prices. And with the price of crude oil spiking again, our pain at the pump could get even worse.

We understand the sentiment, but Gov. McMaster got it right when he said suspending the state gas tax is a bad idea.

“That’s where most of the state money comes from to build roads,” Mr. McMaster told reporters. “So, if we reduce that tax, we’ll be cutting into that money. I don’t think that’s a good idea, because roads are long-term; this shortage, I hope, is short-term. I hope it’ll be over soon.”

President Donald Trump, whose war with Iran is being blamed for high gas prices, says that’s the case — but he’s been saying that for so many months that even his most ardent supporters must roll their eyes.

We hope the president is right; even if he’s not, Mr. McMaster is.

South Carolina has more than 41,000 miles of roads and 8,400 bridges to maintain — the fourth-largest network of roadways in the country — and for far too long, it did not invest nearly enough money in routine maintenance. Lawmakers went 30 years without raising the gas tax. Even when they eventually did so a decade ago, it wasn’t by enough; the S.C. Department of Transportation is still playing catch-up and will be for decades more.

On top of that, the state is adding population faster than anywhere in the country, exacerbating the need for more lane miles — and more regular maintenance of existing lane miles — from York to Jasper counties, and from the Upstate to the Lowcountry. All those needs demand an exorbitant amount of money.

Every 30 days the state doesn’t collect a gas tax cuts nearly $91 million from that roadwork. And most of those calling for a suspension of the gas tax want a 120-day halt, which would cost the state more than $360 million.

That doesn’t factor in the cost of delaying road construction, where double-digit inflation can occur in months, not years.

Even if this were a good idea, it would be a ridiculous waste of money to bring the Legislature back to work this fall unless it was clear a gas tax suspension would pass. And it’s not. Legislative leaders haven’t embraced this idea any more than the governor, because they know exactly what it would do to the state budget, and our woefully inadequate roads.

To even talk about this is simple, naked pandering. It is the difference between running for office and holding office, the difference between campaigning and governing.

Click here for more opinion content from The Post and Courier.