Seal of South Carolina South Carolina

South Carolina has a constitutional appropriations limit under Article X Section 7 of the South Carolina Constitution. The constitutional appropriations limit was ratified in 1985 and limits the appropriations growth to the average growth rate of the state economy. Beginning in 1990 and during every fifth annual regular session afterwards, the General Assembly of South Carolina will conduct a review of the appropriations limit but the limit can only be changed or eliminated by a 2/3 vote in both the House and Senate. There are no exemptions.

 
The base year represents the year the hypothetical Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) would have been enacted. Selecting a base year changes how the state’s TABOR is calculated because the annual growth rates of inflation and population change depending on when TABOR is enacted.
  • Year Inflation-adjusted Actual Spending
    1992 10,816,440,000
    1993 11,107,840,000
    1994 11,483,330,000
    1995 11,853,420,000
    1996 12,608,970,000
    1997 12,822,040,000
    1998 14,590,160,000
    1999 12,870,740,000
    2000 13,929,750,000
    2001 14,602,920,000
    2002 14,955,840,000
    2003 14,599,140,000
    2004 14,053,460,000
    2005 14,872,060,000
    2006 14,641,920,000
    2007 16,636,250,000
    2008 16,959,600,000
    2009 16,574,580,000
    2010 14,293,090,000
    2011 14,222,050,000
    2012 14,468,520,000
    2013 15,992,880,000
    2014 15,802,820,000
    2015 16,241,000,000
    2016 16,560,720,000
    2017 18,005,160,000
    2018 17,163,920,000
    2019 17,809,330,000
    2020 17,956,000,000
*All spending figures are in inflation-adjusted 2020 dollars.