By Alan Wilson
Across South Carolina, families tell me the same thing: everyday life is becoming too expensive.
That concern is especially real in Beaufort County and across the Lowcountry. From young couples struggling to purchase their first home to retirees facing rising property taxes and insurance premiums, hardworking South Carolinians are feeling the pressure.
That’s why I’ve introduced Alan’s Affordability Agenda, a plan to lower the cost of living, eliminate government waste, and put more money back into the pockets of South Carolina families.
My goal is simple: make South Carolina affordable for families, profitable for businesses, and accountable to taxpayers.
First, we must control government spending.
Before government asks taxpayers for another dollar, it must prove it’s spending existing resources responsibly.
As Governor, I’ll launch Wilson’s Waste Removal to get rid of the waste in government. Through our Families First Audit Initiative, led by Senator Mike Reichenbach as my Lieutenant Governor, we’ll audit government agencies to identify fraud, waste, and abuse, expose inefficiencies, and demand results.
I’ll challenge wasteful self-serving pork projects and reform the Department of Commerce. Economic development should create jobs, not incentivize bad deals for the state. There must be clear, enforceable clawbacks to major deals, and the people who live in this state can’t be sidelined or forgotten about.
And we’ll work to responsibly eliminate South Carolina’s individual income tax, allowing families to keep more of what they earn.
Second, we need relief at the gas pump.
For families commuting between Beaufort, Bluffton, and Hilton Head Island, gasoline isn’t optional. I’m asking the General Assembly to give the Governor authority to temporarily suspend the state gas tax for up to 120 days during extraordinary price spikes, with reserve funding protecting infrastructure investments. South Carolina can’t control what happens, but we can make changes on the state level to provide some relief to the people that live here.
Third, we must reform property taxes.
In communities like Port Royal, Lady’s Island, and St. Helena Island, rising housing costs create challenges for families hoping to remain in the communities they love.
I’ll work to automatically enroll eligible seniors in the homestead exemption and pursue reforms to Act 388 addressing higher taxes on rental properties, which can push rents upward. Small businesses deserve property tax relief so they can invest in employees and growth.
Fourth, insurance premiums deserve greater scrutiny.
Coastal homeowners understand this challenge particularly well. Between hurricane risks, flooding concerns, and rising insurance premiums, protecting a home along South Carolina’s coast can carry significant costs.
As Governor, I will overhaul the Department of Insurance and push for more reforms requiring regular public audits of rate increases, quarterly updates to the Governor’s Office, and annual public reports on major insurance carriers.
Families deserve transparency and accountability when their premiums increase.
Fifth, we must lower utility costs.
South Carolina needs reliable energy and a stronger grid, but families shouldn’t bear every cost of expansion. I’ll encourage competition, demand accountability from utility companies, and work to ensure major developments pay their fair share rather than shifting costs onto existing customers.
These reforms will require cooperation with the General Assembly, disciplined budgeting, and sustained leadership.
For nearly 16 years as Attorney General, I’ve fought to protect families and hold criminals accountable. I’ve prosecuted rogue and corrupt government officials, but I’ve learned that often bad or incompetent government gets overlooked if it doesn’t reach the level of criminality. The only remedy is to get in there and fix it. I’m running for Governor to help fix it.
Senator Mike Reichenbach and I are running for Governor and Lieutenant Governor to make South Carolina more affordable for families, profitable for businesses, and accountable to you.
South Carolina families deserve nothing less.
— Alan Wilson is the South Carolina Attorney General and Republican nominee for Governor.