Tax credit for jobless employees

Employers would get tax credits of up to $2,400 for hiring and keeping South Carolina’s jobless on their payrolls under a bill that’s won initial approval.
   
The Senate Finance Committee approved the bill Tuesday.
   
Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler’s bill would credit employers $100 for each month the worker is on the payroll, for up to two years. The bill would require employers to hire people who have drawn at least four weeks of unemployment benefits.
   
South Carolina’s unemployment rate in March of 11.4 percent was the nation’s third highest.
   
Peeler said legislators can’t just sit back and complain about problems. The Gaffney lawmaker said they need to act to grow the economy.
   
The bill now heads to the Senate for debate.