House panel agrees to send online taxes to roads

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A House panel wants to use the sales tax people in South Carolina pay for Internet purchases to help fix the state’s roads and bridges.

A subcommittee passed a bill Wednesday that would direct money used to pay the state sales tax to road crews. The proposal now goes to the House Ways and Means Committee.

The U.S. House is considering a bill that would require online retailers to charge and collect sales tax. Many of them do not currently charge the tax.

If the federal proposal passes, estimates say South Carolina could end up with an additional $70 million.

Bill sponsor and Chapin Republican Nathan Ballentine says that money won’t fix all of South Carolina’s road problems, but it is a good start without raising taxes or borrowing money.