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Spotlight The Gamecock Founded 1908 __ Monday Volume 78, No. 29 University of South Carolina October 14, 1985 Car tax I i By AMY BEDENBAUGH Staff writer South Carolina has lost almost $16 million in revenue because of a limit on the motor vehicle sales tax approved by the General Assembly last year, a state Tax Commission spokesman said. But increased sales have made up for the lost money, according to an advocate of the state's auto and truck dealers. Adopted in 1984 as an amendment to the penny sales tax increase in the General Appropriations Bill, the sales tax limit of $300 per vehicle was supported J d JW Lctita Harney overcc queen to accept congri the Homecoming Comm j wart released, but t Cockfest. USC partic By LAURA ANNE BOOZER Staff writtr The Inter-Association Task Force < Alcohol is sponsoring a Nation Awareness Week starting today. USC will participate in the proje< sponsored by the Campus Alcoh Project, Greeks Against Mismanag ment of Alcohol (GAMMA) ai Bacchus. Tbc week's purpose is to offer imit costi by people who believed South Carolina was losing car sales to North Carolina, according to Pat Watson, executive vice president f\f t A 1 ^ 1 vi iiiv oiuiv nuiu ctnu I rUCK Dealers Association. With a tax rate of 4 percent and no tax limit, South Carolina was at a disadvantage to North Carolina, which attracts buyers with its 2 percent motor vehicle sales tax and $300 sales tax limit. In 1984, a $10,000 car in North Carolina would have cost the buyer $200 in taxes. In South Carolina, taxes on the same car would have been $400. fl' Par!! yui ia ? ' *-* <* 4 * ? - sk..-?^ ^-t.^BEgBB": jj.y in II iiiiiaiiiiT'lti' I'I lilr^ *** -^.^Kg-^i^ BBWfflPrWTHiMI *':? '|Bistill t'y-jfi.h' i ' ' ' rSRig ROBERT BUM ime her aurpriae at being voted ti tulations from Katherine Morgan, a salon. Alao during halfftima activity le real fireworks came Thursda iipates in a period of time each year focus alcohol issue&and students' reas< an drinking too much. lai "Most people don't think drinking. They just drink," sau :t, Shaver, coordinator of the the C ol Alcohol Project. "We want to ;e- people aware of alcohol and tt id blems that go along with it." According to Shaverf 80 per< a USC-Columbia students use a! * iiy sidle State NORTH CAROLINA 2 percent tax, $300 limit SOUTH CAROLINA 4 percent tax, $300 limit South Carolina fleet dealers, companies that have businesses in several states and buy many cars and trucks at once, took advantage of North Carolina's lower taxes. "Those businesses had a ilcohol aw ing on with 10 percent abusing it onsfor "The main reason abuse," Shaver said, "is about don't usually recognize 1 misuse alrnhnl nf ampus reason isn't alcoholism; ? make from teachers, home or p< ic pro- Special programs wi throughout the week, Sha :ent of A resource fair will be tcohol, Russell House lobby froi \ ' >' $16 millii 1983 sales 1984 sales 30B.727 361,576 161.345 175,857 choice: Pay $3,000 in sales tax or $300," Watson said. "If a business can save that much in taxes on the cars by going out of state, that adds up." When the $300 limit took effect in South Carolina, the Tax nfjf'r' - * - c;rv-*T>T7 i gnuH HPSBaBfe^PK' "' ;/M; BP*^ ', ,'^ ,-?B; JOSEPH 6ARNE cyy Tmr? JWftaB JH "Wgary JOSEPH GARNF areness wi p.m. today. A proj of alcohol management will be h< that people day in Russell House i why they On Tuesday, an edi the time the featuring party plannii it's pressure Russell House 203. It v :ers. " ning for parties wit 11 be held alcohol, Shaver said, ver said. An alcohol bowl, sii held in the 11 10 a.m.-2 & an, officia Commission predicted it would cost the state $7 million in revenue, said Otis Rawl, the commission's research supervisor. But a steady increase in car and truck sales in the state more than doubled that estimate, Rawl said. From July 1, 1983, to July 1, 1984, 161,345 new cars and trucks were registered in South Carolina, Watson said. From July 1, 1984, to July 1, 1985, the number increased to 175,857. Watson said his association, comprising 311 of the state's 330 franchised new car and truck dealers, thought increased sales use s falls t By GREGG LASKY I L-LLIV13U1> ? tion's fifth-ranke tional champions I teams are a ch-ri "" took the final pla post-season appe jphj To top it off, IHSumkI power Clemson, - : I the road on the 1 ' ' j And, unfortun repeated itself Su mi \ Despite an earl ; fell to top-rank . Tigwft'field. Th< I was touted as om ^ : I cvcr? bringing t< teams. But the game ?i me scunng came Danny Ratcliff at four minutes, chipped the ball i Doug Allison hea the goal. Ratcliff' controlled by Cl< the USC fullbacl 11th goal of the s Clemson tied tl TT7n? 6amcat* Paul Rutenis hea _ shot from the rig m . 16-y, m held [ By CARL DAWSON AStaff writer A 16-year-old JmmSM Dreher High Schc tioii with the rece The suspect, al: was arrestec* Wc 14-year-old girl ir iwBP^ 1 Tuesday afternoo ment room behini Towers area at ab t lor1 ,, .; ponce n? County Family C fTrnw Gewsccch degree criminal s< ??????4 jn tfoe Dreher blindfolded and Q|AI# shortly before th 3% assault. Columbia polic charges. Police ;ram on stress department will s eld at 4 p.m. to- adult, rather than * ' tuj. Clark said the ication program police, but its c ig will be held at Police questione< vill include plan- assaults in the cit h and without The suspect, w because he is a nilar to the Col- Richland County Authorities pla m paga 2. state psychiatric f il says would make up for the loss. Fleet dealers who bought in North Carolina registered their cars there and paid Norjh Carolina property taxes to avoid South Carolina's tax levied on cars bought out of state, Watson said. "A number of people who have North Carolina tags in South Carolina work for a company that docs business in North Carolina and have an address there they can register their car under," Watson said. "They might live in South See "Tax loss," page 2. occer team o Clemson ind TONY THOMPSON It was a classic matchup: The nad team took on the defending na> and current No. 1 school. The vals ? and last year, the champs lyott berth to deny their nemesis a arance. USC had never beaten perennial at home in The Graveyard or on rigors' Riggs Field. lately for the Gamecocks, history inday. y lead, previously undefeated USC ed Clemson 3-1 Sunday on the swatch, played-before.6,000 fans, ?of the state's biggest soccer games jgether two of the nation's best really wasn't that climactic ? all in the first half of play. gave the Gamecocks an early lead 17 seconds the match. Scott Cook nto the Clemson penalty area and ided it over to Ratcliff in front of s shot was knocked dowm but not emson keeper Chris Dudley, and f tannpH in tUo u~n f? L? ? ill 11IV. IUU5t UUII IUI HIS reason. tie game seven minutes later when ided in an Eric Eichmann corner ht side. See "Soccer," page 7. ear-old in rape male arrested in the rape of a ?oi siuaent is being held in connecnt rape of a USC student, so a Dreher High School student, :dnesday after the assault of a 1 a men's bathroom at the school n. :hes the description of the person SC freshman Sept. 26 in an equipi Russell House, USC spokesman d student was walking from the iout 12:15 a.m. when a male stopsoutheast corner of the Russell hreatened her and forced her into >m. cm, me victim went to 1700 Bull pped two USC students who walker dorm. USC police and the vice contacted. ive filed a petition in Richland ourt charging the youth with first;xual assault. incident, the girl was slapped, assaulted. The suspect was seen e incident near the scene of the :e say they plan to file additional Cmdr. Charles Clark said the eek to have the youth tried as an i in family court. suspect gave a statement to the ontents have not been released. i the youth about other sexual y. hose name has not been released juvenile, is being held at the Jail. in to have the youth tested at a acility.