2017 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 4 - Counties
CHAPTER 10 - LOCAL SALES AND USE TAX
Section 4-10-730. Local option sales and use tax; credit against property tax liability.
(A)(1) Subject to the requirements of this article, the governing body of the county by a county council ordinance or by an initiated ordinance submitted to the governing body of the county by a petition signed by qualified electors of the county, equal in number to at least seven percent of the qualified electors of the county, may impose a sales and use tax in increments of one-tenth of one percent, not to exceed one percent, subject to referendum approval in order to provide a credit against property tax imposed by a political subdivision for all classes of property subject to such tax. The ordinance may provide for a credit against the property tax liability for the county or the school district(s) in the county, or the property tax liability for both the county and the school district(s) in the county. An ordinance must be enacted or a petition initiating an ordinance must be presented to the county governing body at least one hundred twenty days before the Tuesday following the first Monday of November of that year.
(2) The rate of the tax must be set at an amount expressed in tenths of one percent estimated to be sufficient to produce revenues that do not exceed those necessary to replace property tax revenue in the county for the affected political subdivisions in the most recently completed fiscal year, but not more than one percent and must take into account reimbursements received by political subdivisions for property tax exemptions.
(3) If the county or municipality within the county has enacted a tax increment financing redevelopment plan, or other financing plan that relies upon property tax for its funding to retire indebtedness or pay for project costs, the rate of tax must be set in an amount that must consider full funding for the project or retirement of indebtedness, which must include compliance with any covenants in the governing documents authorizing this indebtedness or future indebtedness heretofore authorized by the tax increment financing redevelopment plan that relies upon property tax for its funding for the amount that the sales tax would substitute for the property tax payments. The revenues of such tax attributable to the funding replacement for a tax increment redevelopment financing plan that relies upon property tax for its funding must be distributed by the county treasurer pursuant to Section 4-10-780.
(4) The governing body of the county shall obtain from ORS after ORS has obtained all information necessary to provide such estimate, a certified estimate of the rate of sales and use tax necessary in the county to equal the property tax not collected, and for the amount, if applicable, for the funding replacement for the tax increment financing redevelopment plan or other financing plan that relies upon property tax for its funding. This certified rate, not to exceed one percent, is the rate of tax that must appear in the referendum question.
(5) A qualified elector of the county desiring to circulate a petition shall file a written request with the governing body of the county detailing the property tax liability or liabilities to which the credit will apply and the governing body shall forward the request to ORS, which shall design the petition form in consultation with the State Election Commission and calculate and certify the tax rate necessary to provide the credits proposed in the petition. The petition form and a copy of the certification must be forwarded to the governing body of the county and the governing body shall provide the petition form to the qualified elector requesting the petition form.
(6) If competing petitions are timely filed with the governing body of the county and the signatures verified, the governing body may determine which petition initiated ordinance shall go on the ballot or it may substitute its own ordinance in lieu of any petition initiated ordinance.
(B) If the sales and use tax authorized pursuant to this article is imposed in a county, then the sales and use tax revenue must be used to provide a credit against the property tax liability on all classes of property by the affected political subdivision.
HISTORY: 2006 Act No. 388, Pt III, Section 1, eff January 1, 2007.
