2021 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 12 - Taxation
Chapter 67 - South Carolina Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act
Section 12-67-140. Eligibility for credit.
Section effective until December 31, 2025.
(A) Subject to the terms and conditions of this chapter, a taxpayer who rehabilitates an abandoned building is eligible for either:
(1) a credit against income taxes imposed pursuant to Chapter 6 and Chapter 11 of this title, corporate license fees pursuant to Chapter 20 of this title, taxes on associations pursuant to Chapter 13 of this title, or insurance premium taxes, including retaliatory taxes, imposed by Chapter 7, Title 38, or a combination of them; or
(2) a credit against real property taxes levied by local taxing entities.
(B) If the taxpayer elects to receive the credit pursuant to subsection (A)(1), the following provisions apply:
(1) The taxpayer shall file with the department a Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate before incurring its first rehabilitation expenses at the building site. Failure to provide the Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate results in qualification of only those rehabilitation expenses incurred after the notice is provided.
(2) The amount of the credit is equal to twenty-five percent of the actual rehabilitation expenses incurred at the building site if the actual rehabilitation expenses incurred in rehabilitating the building site are between eighty percent and one hundred twenty-five percent of the estimated rehabilitation expenses set forth in the Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate. If the actual rehabilitation expenses exceed one hundred twenty-five percent of the estimated expenses set forth in the Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate, the taxpayer qualifies for the credit based on one hundred twenty-five percent of the estimated expenses as opposed to the actual expenses it incurred in rehabilitating the building site. If the actual rehabilitation expenses are below eighty percent of the estimated rehabilitation expenses, the credit is not allowed.
(3)(a) The entire credit is earned in the taxable year in which the applicable phase or portion of the building site is placed in service but must be taken in equal installments over a three-year period beginning with the tax year in which the applicable phase or portion of the building site is placed in service. Unused credit may be carried forward for the succeeding five years at the individual, partnership, or limited liability company level.
(b) The entire credit earned pursuant to this subsection may not exceed five hundred thousand dollars for any taxpayer in a tax year for each abandoned building site. The limitation provided in this subitem applies to each unit or parcel deemed to be an abandoned building site.
(4) If the taxpayer qualifies for both the credit allowed by this section and the credit allowed pursuant to the Textiles Communities Revitalization Act or the Retail Facilities Revitalization Act, the taxpayer only may claim one of the three credits. However, the taxpayer is not disqualified from claiming any other tax credit in conjunction with the credit allowed by this section.
(5)(a) If the taxpayer leases the building site, or part of the building site, the taxpayer may transfer any applicable remaining credit associated with the rehabilitation expenses incurred with respect to that part of the site to the lessee of the site. If a taxpayer sells the building site, or any phase or portion of the building site, the taxpayer may transfer all or part of the remaining credit, associated with the rehabilitation expenses incurred with respect to that phase or portion of the site, to the purchaser of the applicable portion of the building site.
(b) To the extent that the taxpayer transfers the credit, the taxpayer shall notify the department of the transfer in the manner the department prescribes.
(6) To the extent that the taxpayer is a partnership or a limited liability company taxed as a partnership, the credit, including any unused credit amount carried forward, may be passed through to the partners or members and may be allocated among any of its partners or members on an annual basis including, without limitation, an allocation of the entire credit or unused carryforward to any partner or member who was a member or partner at any time in the year in which the credit or unused carryforward is allocated. The allocation must be allowed without regard to any provision of the Internal Revenue Code or regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, that may be interpreted as contrary to the allocation, including, without limitation, the treatment of the allocation as a disguised sale.
(C) If the taxpayer elects to receive the credit pursuant to subsection (A)(2), the following provisions apply:
(1) The taxpayer shall file a Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate with the municipality, or the county if the building site is located in an unincorporated area, in which the building site is located before incurring its first rehabilitation expenses at the building site. Failure to provide the Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate results in qualification of only those rehabilitation expenses incurred after notice is provided.
(2) Once the Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate has been provided to the county or municipality, the municipality or the county first shall determine, by resolution, the eligibility of the building site and the proposed rehabilitation expenses for the credit. A proposed rehabilitation of a building site must be approved by a positive majority vote of the local governing body. For purposes of this subsection, "positive majority vote" is as defined in Section 6-1-300(5). If the county or municipality determines that the building site and the proposed rehabilitation expenses are eligible for the credit, there must be a public hearing and the municipality or county shall approve the building site for the credit by ordinance. Before approving a building site for the credit, the municipality or county shall make a finding that the credit does not violate a covenant, representation, or warranty in any of its tax increment financing transactions or an outstanding general obligation bond issued by the county or municipality.
(3)(a) The amount of the credit is equal to twenty-five percent of the actual rehabilitation expenses incurred at the building site times the local taxing entity ratio of each local taxing entity that has consented to the credit pursuant to item (4), if the actual rehabilitation expenses incurred in rehabilitating the building site are between eighty percent and one hundred twenty-five percent of the estimated rehabilitation expenses set forth in the Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate. If the actual rehabilitation expenses exceed one hundred twenty-five percent of the estimated expenses set forth in the Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate, the taxpayer qualifies for the credit based on one hundred twenty-five percent of the estimated expenses as opposed to the actual expenses it incurred in rehabilitating the building site. If the actual rehabilitation expenses are below eighty percent of the estimated rehabilitation expenses, the credit is not allowed. The ordinance must provide for the credit to be taken as a credit against up to seventy-five percent of the real property taxes due on the building site each year for up to eight years.
(b) The local taxing entity ratio is set as of the time the Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate is filed and remains set for the entire period that the credit may be claimed by the taxpayer.
(4) Not fewer than forty-five days before holding the public hearing required by subsection (C)(2), the governing body of the municipality or county shall give notice to all affected local taxing entities in which the building site is located of its intention to grant a credit against real property taxes for the building site and the amount of estimated credit proposed to be granted based on the estimated rehabilitation expenses. If a local taxing entity does not file an objection to the tax credit with the municipality or county on or before the date of the public hearing, the local taxing entity is considered to have consented to the tax credit.
(5) The credit against real property taxes for each applicable phase or portion of the building site may be claimed beginning with the property tax year in which the applicable phase or portion of the building site is first placed in service.
(D) A taxpayer is not eligible for the credit if the taxpayer owned the otherwise eligible building site when the site was operational and immediately prior to its abandonment.
(E) For building sites which have had no portion thereof placed into service before July 1, 2018, and upon which is located a redeveloped multi-floor structure that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the taxpayer may subdivide the structure into separate units in the manner as provided for in this chapter, except that up to seven separate floors may be considered seven separate subdivided units if a floor is redeveloped for the exclusive use as a residential apartment or apartments. Before making an initial claim for tax credits pursuant to this chapter, in lieu of the requirements of Section 12-67-140(B)(1), a taxpayer utilizing the provisions of this subsection must notify the department in writing of his intent to claim tax credits pursuant to this chapter, providing any information required by the department, including, but not necessarily limited to, the location of the building site, the actual expenses incurred in connection with the rehabilitation of the building site, the number of units for which a credit is being claimed, and the date the building site will be placed in service. Except as specifically provided otherwise in this subsection, taxpayers are subject to all other requirements of this chapter.
HISTORY: 2013 Act No. 57, Section 1.A, eff June 11, 2013; 2015 Act No. 68 (H.3725), Section 3, eff June 9, 2015; 2018 Act No. 265 (S.1043), Sections 2.A, 5.A, and 5.B, eff October 3, 2018.
Editor's Note
2013 Act No. 57, Sections 1.B., 2, provide as follows:
"B. The provisions of Chapter 67, Title 12 contained in this act are repealed on December 31, 2019. Any carryforward credits shall continue to be allowed until the five or eight year time period in Section 12-67-140 is completed."
"SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor, and applies to the rehabilitation, renovation, and redevelopment of abandoned buildings begun in tax years beginning after 2012."
2018 Act No. 265, Sections 1, 2.B, and 5.D, provide as follows:
"SECTION 1. Notwithstanding SECTION 1.B. of Act 57 of 2013, the provisions of Chapter 67, Title 12 of the 1976 Code are repealed on December 31, 2021."
"[2.]B. This SECTION takes effect upon approval by the Governor and first applies to eligible building sites placed in service after June 30, 2018."
"[5.]D. This SECTION takes effect upon approval by the Governor and first applies to buildings placed in service after June 30, 2018."
2019 Act No. 50, Section 2.A, provides as follows:
"SECTION 2.A. Notwithstanding Section 1 of Act 265 of 2018, and Section 1.B. of Act 57 of 2013, upon the repeal of Chapter 67, Title 12 of the 1976 Code, any carryforward credits shall continue to be allowed until the five or eight year time period in Section 12-67-140 is completed."
2021 Act No. 21, Section 1, provides as follows:
"SECTION 1. Notwithstanding SECTION 1.B. of Act 57 of 2013, the provisions of Chapter 67, Title 12 of the 1976 Code are repealed on December 31, 2025."
Effect of Amendment
2015 Act No. 68, Section 3, in (A), inserted reference to insurance premium taxes; in (B)(3)(a), substituted "three-year period" for "five-year period"; deleted former (B)(5), relating to the limited credit allowed by the subsection; and redesignated former (B)(6) and (B)(7) accordingly.
2018 Act No. 265, Section 2.A, added (E), specifying the manner in which certain buildings may be subdivided.
2018 Act No. 265, Section 5.A, in (B)(3)(a), in the second sentence, added "at the individual, partnership, or limited liability company level" at the end.
2018 Act No. 265, Section 5.B, rewrote (B)(6), specifying the manner in which an unused credit may be carried forward and allocated.
