Senate passes bill conforming S Carolina tax code to feds

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina senators have passed a bill that links the state tax code to the federal tax code.

The tax conformity bill usually passes each year without a hitch. It allows taxpayers to transfer information and deductions from their federal tax returns to their state returns.

Otherwise, Republican state Sen. Thomas Alexander of Walhalla says it would be a nightmare of extra work to do state taxes.

The federal tax bill passed last year by Congress complicated things by eliminating personal exemptions. Senators say they added state deductions for families with children and businesses so their state taxes would not go up.

The Senate passed the bill 37-4 in Tuesday's special session.