Archives > 1976 South Carolina Code of Laws - Previous Versions > 2004 Session > Title 4

This statutory database is current through the 2004 Regular Session of the South Carolina General Assembly. Changes to the statutes enacted by the 2005 General Assembly, which will convene in January 2005, will be incorporated as soon as possible. Some changes enacted by the 2005 General Assembly may take immediate effect. The State of South Carolina and the South Carolina Legislative Council make no warranty as to the accuracy of the data, and users rely on the data entirely at their own risk.








SECTION 4-10-10. Definitions.

For purposes of this chapter:

(1) "County area" means a county and all municipalities within its geographical boundaries.

(2) "County" means the unincorporated areas of a county area or county government as the use of the term dictates.

(3) "Municipality" means a municipal corporation created pursuant to Chapter 1 of Title 5 or a municipal government as the use of the term dictates.

(4) "Minimum distribution" means an amount equal to two million dollars for the first distribution and after that adjusted annually on a cumulative basis by a percentage equal to the increase in revenues credited to the Education Improvement Act Fund for the most recently completed fiscal year over the revenues credited to that fund in the preceding fiscal year.

(5) "Population" means population as determined in the most recent official United States Census.

SECTION 4-10-20. Rate of tax; exemptions; reports by utilities; rental units.

A county, upon referendum approval, may levy a sales and use tax of one percent on the gross proceeds of sales within the county area which are subject to tax under Chapter 36 of Title 12 and the enforcement provisions of Chapter 54 of Title 12. The sale of items with a maximum tax levied in accordance with Section 12-36-2110 and Article 17 of Chapter 36 of Title 12 is exempt from the local sales and use tax. The adopted rate also applies to tangible personal property subject to the use tax in Section 12-36-1310. Taxpayers required to remit taxes under Section 12-36-1310 shall identify the county or municipality in the county area in which tangible personal property purchased at retail is stored, used, or consumed in this State. Utilities are required to report sales in the county or municipality in which consumption of the tangible personal property occurs. A taxpayer subject to the tax imposed by Section 12-36-920, who owns or manages rental units in more than one county or municipality, shall report separately in his sales tax return the total gross proceeds from business done in each county or municipality.

SECTION 4-10-25. Construction contracts; application.

The gross proceeds of sales of tangible personal property delivered after the imposition date of the tax levied under Section 4-10-20 in a county, either under the terms of a construction contract executed before the imposition date, or a written bid submitted before the imposition date, culminating in a construction contract entered into before or after the imposition date, are exempt from the local sales and use tax provided in Section 4-10-20 if a verified copy of the contract is filed with the South Carolina Department of Revenue within six months after the imposition of the local sales and use tax.

SECTION 4-10-30. Referendum on question of implementing local option sales and use tax within county.

(A) The county election commission in each county shall conduct a referendum on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November on the question of implementing the local option sales and use tax within the county area. The state election laws apply to the referendum mutatis mutandis. The county election commission shall publish the results of the referendum and certify them to the county council. The sales and use tax must not be imposed in the county area, unless a majority of the qualified electors voting in the referendum approve the question.

(B) The ballot must read substantially as follows:

"Must a one percent sales and use tax be levied in __________ County for the purpose of allowing a credit against a taxpayer's county and municipal ad valorem tax liability and for the purpose of funding county and municipal operations in the __________ County area?

Yes �

No �"

(C) If the question is not approved at the initial referendum, the county council may call for another referendum on the question. However, following the initial referendum, a referendum for this purpose must not be held more often than once in twelve months and must be held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.

(D) Two weeks before the referendum the county council and the municipal councils in the county area shall publish in a newspaper of general circulation within the jurisdiction the anticipated credit against property taxes in the first year of implementation of the property tax credit fund. The notice must show the anticipated credit on the following classes of property:

(1) a primary residence;

(2) personal property including, but not limited to, an automobile;

(3) a commercial facility;

(4) an industrial facility.

SECTION 4-10-35. Petition to rescind tax; referendum.

(A) Upon petition of fifteen percent of the qualified electors of a county presented to the governing body of that county which has implemented the one percent sales and use tax authorized by this chapter requesting that this tax be rescinded, the county governing body shall conduct a referendum on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November next following on the question of rescinding the local option sales and use tax within the county area. The state election laws apply to the referendum mutatis mutandis. The county election commission shall publish the results of the referendum and certify them to the county council. The sales and use tax must be rescinded in the county area upon the certification of the results if a majority of the qualified electors voting in the referendum vote in favor of rescinding the tax.

(B) The ballot must read substantially as follows:

"Must the one percent local option sales and use tax levied in __________ County pursuant to Chapter 10, Title 4 of the 1976 Code be rescinded?

Yes �

No �"

(C) A referendum for rescission of this tax may not be held earlier than two years after the tax has been levied in the county. If a majority of the qualified electors voting in the rescission referendum vote against rescinding the tax, no further rescission referendums may be held for a period of two years. If a majority of the qualified electors vote in favor of rescinding the tax, the tax may not be reimposed in the county for a period of two years. The petition requesting rescission 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 or the referendum must be held on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November of the following year.

SECTION 4-10-40. Distribution of revenue allocated to Property Tax Credit Fund.

(A) The revenue allocated to the Property Tax Credit Fund, as provided in Section 4-10-90, must be distributed to the county and the municipalities in the county area as follows:

(1) sixty-seven percent to the county;

(2) thirty-three percent to the municipalities in the county area so that each municipality receives an amount equal to what its percentage of population bears to the total population in all the municipalities in the county area.

(B)(1) All of the revenue received by a county and municipality from the Property Tax Credit Fund must be used to provide a credit against the property tax liability of taxpayers in the county and municipality in an amount determined by multiplying the appraised value of the taxpayer's taxable property by a fraction in which the numerator is the total estimated revenue received by the county or municipality from the Property Tax Credit Fund during the applicable fiscal year of the political subdivision and the denominator is the total of the appraised value of taxable property in the county or municipality as of January 1 of the applicable taxable year.

(2) For purposes of this chapter:

(a) property tax liability includes liability to pay fees in lieu of property taxes;

(b) taxable property includes exempt property for which the owner must pay fees in lieu of property taxes; and

(c) reference to liability for fees in lieu of tax applies to fees arising pursuant to Section 4-1-170 in connection with location in a multi-county industrial or business park as provided in Section 13 of Article VIII of the Constitution of the State of South Carolina.

(C) All interest accruing to the credit funds received by a county or a municipality from the Property Tax Credit Fund must be used to provide an additional credit as provided in this section.

(D) If a municipality has adopted or adopts a redevelopment plan for a tax increment financed redevelopment project pursuant to Chapter 6 of Title 31, a deficiency resulting from the application of this section in the tax allocation fund or separate fund established to pay project costs must be funded from the municipality's allocation from the County/Municipal Revenue Fund each year so as to provide full funding for the project. A tax increment financing bond holder, agent, or trustee may enforce this requirement.

(E) For motor vehicles subject to the payment of property taxes pursuant to Article 21, Chapter 37 of Title 12, the credit provided under this section applies against the tax liability for motor vehicle tax years beginning after December of the year in which the credit is calculated.

SECTION 4-10-50. Distribution of revenue set aside for the County/Municipal Revenue Fund.

(A) The revenue generated in a county area and set aside and allocated to the County/Municipal Revenue Fund must be distributed to the county and the municipalities in the county area as follows:

(1) fifty percent based upon the location of the sale;

(2) fifty percent based on population.

(B) The population of the county is the population of the county area, and the population of the municipalities is the population within the corporate boundaries of the municipalities in the county area.

(C) Revenue distributed to a county or municipality under this section may be used to provide an additional property tax credit in the manner provided in Section 4-10-40(B).

SECTION 4-10-60. Withholdings from amount collected by counties; apportionment amongst other counties.

(A) At the end of each fiscal year and before August first a percentage, to be determined by the State Treasurer and not to exceed five percent of collections, must be withheld from those county areas collecting five million dollars or more from the sales and use tax authorized by this chapter, and that amount must be distributed to assure that each county area receives a minimum distribution. The difference between the minimum distribution and the actual collections within a county area must be distributed to the eligible units within the county area based on population as provided for in this chapter.

(B) The amount withheld from those county areas collecting five million dollars or more must be apportioned among the county and the municipalities in the county area in the same proportion as those units received remittances as provided in this chapter. An amount withheld in excess must be distributed back to the county areas whose collections exceed five million dollars based on the ratio of the funds available to the collections by each county area.

(C) As a condition precedent to a county area being subject to an assessment by the State Treasurer or being a recipient of revenue pursuant to this section, the county area must have implemented the sales and use tax as authorized by this chapter.

(D) The provisions of subsection (A) do not apply if the total number of county areas adopting the sales and use tax authorized by this chapter, which are projected by the Department of Revenue to collect five million dollars or more, generated fifty percent or less during the most currently available fiscal year of the total statewide collections from the levy of a one percent sales and use tax, then those county areas generating five million dollars or more must be assessed five percent of the amount generated in the county area, and that amount must be used as a supplement to those county areas generating less than the minimum distribution. The supplement to those county areas generating less than the minimum distribution must be distributed so that each county area receives an amount equal to what its percentage of population bears to the total population in all of the county areas generating less than the minimum distribution which have implemented the sales and use tax authorized by this chapter. Once the amount of the supplement has been determined for each of the county areas to be supplemented, then the supplement must be distributed to the eligible units within the county area based on population as provided for in this chapter. However, the supplement to the county area combined with collections within the county area may not exceed the minimum distribution.

SECTION 4-10-65. Local option tax revenues not identified as to unit shall go to local option supplemental revenue fund.

Funds collected by the department from the local option sales tax which are not identified as to the governmental unit due the tax, and cannot be so identified after a reasonable effort by the department to determine the appropriate governmental unit, must be deposited to a local option supplemental revenue fund. These funds must be distributed in accordance with Section 4-10-60 to those counties generating less than the minimum distribution.

SECTION 4-10-67. Deposit and distribution of local option use tax.

Local option use tax collected by the department in conjunction with the filing of individual income tax returns must be deposited to a local option supplemental revenue fund and distributed in accordance with Section 4-10-60 to those counties generating less than their minimum distribution.

SECTION 4-10-70. Determination of amount to be received by eligible unit within county area.

No eligible unit within a county area may receive less from the distribution of the sales and use tax authorized by this chapter than it received in the previous fiscal year. However, if the amount of collections from the sales and use tax in the county area is less than the preceding fiscal year's collections, then the distributions to the eligible units within the county area must be reduced on a proportional basis.

SECTION 4-10-80. Reports as to total amount of revenue collected.

Annually by August fifteenth the State Treasurer shall report to the county chief administrative officers, county treasurers, and municipal clerks in those county areas which levy the sales and use tax authorized by this chapter the total amount of revenue collected as reported by the Department of Revenue in the county area for the preceding fiscal year.

SECTION 4-10-90. Department of Revenue to administer and collect local sales and use tax; forms; regulations; notice by county that tax has been approved; revenues to be credited to Local Sales and Use Tax Fund; reports to State Treasurer; refunds.

(A) The Department of Revenue shall administer and collect the local sales and use tax in the manner that sales and use taxes are administered and collected pursuant to Chapter 36 of Title 12. The commission may prescribe forms and promulgate regulations in conformity with this chapter, including tables prescribing the amount to be added to the sales price. The county shall notify the Department of Revenue and the State Treasurer through delivery of a certified copy of a resolution adopted by the county by December thirty-first following the referendum for the tax to be imposed May first. Failure to deliver the resolution by December thirty-first causes a delay of the imposition until the first day of May of the next calendar year. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the local sales and use tax must not be imposed before July first following the first referendum held pursuant to Section 4-10-30.

(B) All revenues collected by the Department of Revenue on behalf of a county area pursuant to this chapter must be remitted to the State Treasurer to be credited to a Local Sales and Use Tax Fund which is separate and distinct from the state general fund. After deducting the amount of refunds made and the costs to the Department of Revenue of administering the tax, not to exceed one-half of one percent of the fund or seven hundred fifty thousand dollars, whichever is greater, the State Treasurer shall deposit the revenue into the Local Sales and Use Tax Fund which consists of two separate funds: the Property Tax Credit Fund and the County/Municipal Revenue Fund. The revenue collected pursuant to this chapter must be allocated to each fund as follows:

(1) During the first year after the effective date of this act, sixty-three percent to the Property Tax Credit Fund and thirty-seven percent to the County/Municipal Revenue Fund.

(2) During the second year after the effective date of this act, sixty-five percent to the Property Tax Credit Fund and thirty-five percent to the County/Municipal Revenue Fund.

(3) During the third year after the effective date of this act, sixty-seven percent to the Property Tax Credit Fund and thirty-three percent to the County/Municipal Revenue Fund.

(4) During the fourth year after the effective date of this act, sixty-nine percent to the Property Tax Credit Fund and thirty-one percent to the County/Municipal Revenue Fund.

(5) During the fifth year after the effective date of this act, and each year thereafter, seventy-one percent to the Property Tax Credit Fund and twenty-nine percent to the County/Municipal Revenue Fund. The allocation of revenue to each fund provided for in this section must remain uniform as to the percentage allocated to each fund regardless of the year in which a county adopts the local sales and use tax. The State Treasurer shall distribute monthly the revenues according to the provisions of this chapter.

(C) The Department of Revenue shall furnish data to the State Treasurer and to the governing bodies of the counties and municipalities receiving revenues for the purpose of calculating distributions and estimating revenues. The information which may be supplied to counties and municipalities includes, but is not limited to, gross receipts, net taxable sales, and tax liability by taxpayers. Information by taxpayer received by appropriate county or municipal officials is considered confidential and is governed by the provisions of Section 12-54-240. A person violating this section is subject to the penalties provided in Section 12-54-240. The State Treasurer may correct misallocations from the Property Tax Credit Fund and County/Municipal Revenue Fund by adjusting subsequent allocations, but these adjustments may be made only in allocations made in the same fiscal year as the misallocation. However, allocations made as a result of city or county code errors must be corrected prospectively.

SECTION 4-10-100. Commencement of local sales and use tax.

Notwithstanding the date of general imposition of the local sales and use tax authorized pursuant to this chapter, with respect to services that are regularly billed on a monthly basis, the local sales and use tax is imposed beginning on the first day of the billing period beginning on or after the date of general imposition.





SECTION 4-10-300. Short title.

This article may be cited as the "Capital Project Sales Tax Act".

SECTION 4-10-310. Imposition of tax.

Subject to the requirements of this article, the county governing body may impose a one percent sales and use tax by ordinance, subject to a referendum, within the county area for a specific purpose or purposes and for a limited amount of time to collect a limited amount of money. The revenues collected pursuant to this article may be used to defray debt service on bonds issued to pay for projects authorized in this article. However, at no time may any portion of the county area be subject to more than one percent sales tax levied pursuant to this article, pursuant to Chapter 37 of Title 4, or pursuant to any local law enacted by the General Assembly.

SECTION 4-10-320. Commission creation; composition.

(A) The governing body of any county is authorized to create a commission subject to the provisions of this section. The commission consists of six members, all of whom must be residents of the county, appointed as follows:

(1) The governing body of the county must appoint three members of the commission.

(2) The municipalities in the county must appoint three members, who must be residents of incorporated municipalities within the county, and who are selected according to the following mechanism:

(a) The total population of all incorporated municipalities within the county, as determined by the most recent United States census, must be divided by three, the result being an apportionate average.

(b) The respective population of each municipality in the county must be divided by the apportionate average to determine an appointive index.

(c) Each municipality in the county appoints a number of members to the commission equal to the whole number indicated by their appointive index. However, no single municipality may appoint more than two members to the commission; unless there is only one municipality in the county, and in such case the municipality is entitled to three appointments to the commission.

(d) When less than three members are selected to the commission in accordance with the prescribed appointive index method, the remaining member or members must be selected in a joint meeting of the commission appointees of the municipalities in the county. The member or members must be chosen from among the residents of the municipalities in the county that before this time have not provided a representative for the commission.

(e) In the event no municipality is entitled to appoint a member to the commission pursuant to the formula in subitem (c) of this subsection, the municipality with the highest appointive index must be deemed to have an appointive index of one.

(B) When the governing body of any county creates a commission, it must be created in accordance with the procedures specified in subsection (A) and only upon the request of the governing body of the county. If within the thirty-day period following the adoption of a resolution to create the commission, one or more of the municipalities fails or refuses to appoint their proportionate number of members to the commission, the county governing body must appoint an additional number of members equal to the number that any such municipality is entitled to appoint. A vacancy on the commission must be filled in the manner of the original appointment.

(C) The commission created pursuant to this section must consider proposals for funding capital projects within the county area. The commission then formulates the referendum question that is to appear on the ballot pursuant to Section 4-10-330(D).

SECTION 4-10-330. Contents of ballot question; purpose for which proceeds of tax to be used.

(A) The sales and use tax authorized by this article is imposed by an enacting ordinance of the county governing body containing the ballot question formulated by the commission pursuant to subsection 4-10-320(C), subject to referendum approval in the county. The ordinance must specify:

(1) the purpose for which the proceeds of the tax are to be used, which may include projects located within or without, or both within and without, the boundaries of the local governmental entities, including the county, municipalities, and special purpose districts located in the county area, and may include the following types of projects:

(a) highways, roads, streets, bridges, and public parking garages and related facilities;

(b) courthouses, administration buildings, civic centers, hospitals, emergency medical facilities, police stations, fire stations, jails, correctional facilities, detention facilities, libraries, coliseums, or any combination of these projects;

(c) cultural, recreational, or historic facilities, or any combination of these facilities;

(d) water, sewer, or water and sewer projects;

(e) flood control projects and storm water management facilities;

(f) beach access and beach renourishment;

(g) jointly operated projects of the county, a municipality, special purpose district, and school district, or any combination of those entities, for the projects delineated in subitems (a) through (f) of this item;

(h) any combination of the projects described in subitems (a) through (g) of this item;

(2) the maximum time, stated in terms of calendar or fiscal years or quarters, or a combination thereof, not to exceed seven years from the date of imposition, for which the tax may be imposed;

(3)(a) If the county proposes to issue bonds to provide for the payment of any costs of the projects, the maximum amount of bonds to be issued, whether the sales tax proceeds are to be pledged to the payment of the bonds and, if other sources of funds are to be used for the projects, specifying the other sources;

(b) the maximum cost of the project or facilities or portion of the project or portion of the facilities, to be funded from proceeds of the tax or bonds issued as provided in this article and the maximum amount of net proceeds expected to be used to pay the cost or debt service on the bonds, as the case may be; and

(4) any other condition precedent, as determined by the commission, to the imposition of the sales and use tax authorized by this article or condition or restriction on the use of sales and use tax revenue collected pursuant to this article.

(B) When the tax authorized by this article is imposed for more than one purpose, the enacting ordinance must set forth the priority in which the net proceeds are to be expended for the purposes stated. The enacting ordinance may set forth a formula or system by which multiple projects are funded simultaneously.

(C) Upon receipt of the ordinance, the county election commission must conduct a referendum on the question of imposing the sales and use tax in the area of the county that is to be subject to the tax. The referendum for this purpose must be held at the time of the general election unless the vote is to reimpose a tax in effect on or before June 1, 2002, and in existence at the time of such vote, in which case the referendum may be held on a general election day or at a time the governing body of the county and the Department of Revenue determine necessary to permit the tax to be reinstated and continue without interruption. The choice of election times rests with the governing body of the county. However, a referendum to reimpose an existing tax as permitted above may only be held once whether or not the referendum is held on a general election day or at another time. Two weeks before the referendum the election commission must publish in a newspaper of general circulation the question that is to appear on the ballot, with the list of projects and the cost of the projects. If the proposed question includes the use of sales taxes to defray debt service on bonds issued to pay the costs of any project, the notice must include a statement indicating that principal amount of the bonds proposed to be issued for the purpose and, if the issuance of the bonds is to be approved as part of the referendum, stating that the referendum includes the authorization of the issuance of bonds in that amount. This notice is in lieu of any other notice otherwise required by law.

(D) The referendum question to be on the ballot must read substantially as follows:

"Must a special one percent sales and use tax be imposed in (county) for not more than (time) to raise the amounts specified for the following purposes?

(1) $________ for __________

(2) $________ for __________

(3) etc.

Yes [ ]

No [ ]"

If the referendum includes the issuance of bonds, the question must be revised to include the principal amount of bonds proposed to be authorized by the referendum and the sources of payment of the bonds if the sales tax approved in the referendum is inadequate for the payment of the bonds.

(E) All qualified electors desiring to vote in favor of imposing the tax for the stated purposes shall vote "yes" and all qualified electors opposed to levying the tax shall vote "no". If a majority of the votes cast are in favor of imposing the tax, then the tax is imposed as provided in this article and the enacting ordinance. A subsequent referendum on this question must be held on the date prescribed in subsection (C). The election commission shall conduct the referendum under the election laws of this State, mutatis mutandis, and shall certify the result no later than November thirtieth to the county governing body and to the Department of Revenue. Expenses of the referendum must be paid by the governmental entities that would receive the proceeds of the tax in the same proportion that those entities would receive the net proceeds of the tax.

(F) Upon receipt of the returns of the referendum, the county governing body must, by resolution, declare the results thereof. In such event, the results of the referendum, as declared by resolution of the county governing body, are not open to question except by a suit or proceeding instituted within thirty days from the date such resolution is adopted.

SECTION 4-10-340. Tax imposition and termination.

(A) If the sales and use tax is approved in the referendum, the tax is imposed on the first of May following the date of the referendum. If the reimposition of an existing sales and use tax imposed pursuant to this article is approved in the referendum, the new tax is imposed immediately following the termination of the earlier imposed tax. If the certification is not timely made to the Department of Revenue, the imposition is postponed for twelve months.

(B) The tax terminates on the earlier of:

(1) the final day of the maximum time period specified for the imposition; or

(2) the end of the calendar quarter during which the Department of Revenue receives a certificate under Section 4-10-360 indicating that no more bonds approved in the referendum remain outstanding that are payable from the sales tax and that all the amount of the costs of the projects approved in the referendum will have been paid upon application of the net proceeds during this quarter.

(C) Amounts collected in excess of the required net proceeds must first be applied, if necessary, to complete a project for which the tax was imposed; otherwise, the excess funds must be credited to the general fund of the governmental entities receiving the proceeds of the tax, in the proportion which they received the net proceeds of the tax while it was imposed.

SECTION 4-10-350. Department of Revenue to administer and collect local tax.

(A) The tax levied pursuant to this article must be administered and collected by the Department of Revenue in the same manner that other sales and use taxes are collected. The department may prescribe amounts that may be added to the sales price because of the tax.

(B) The tax authorized by this article is in addition to all other local sales and use taxes and applies to the gross proceeds of sales in the applicable area that is subject to the tax imposed by Chapter 36 of Title 12 and the enforcement provisions of Chapter 54 of Title 12. The gross proceeds of the sale of items subject to a maximum tax in Chapter 36 of Title 12 are exempt from the tax imposed by this article. The tax imposed by this article also applies to tangible personal property subject to the use tax in Article 13, Chapter 36 of Title 12.

(C) A taxpayer required to remit taxes under Article 13, Chapter 36 of Title 12 must identify the county in which the personal property purchased at retail is stored, used, or consumed in this State.

(D) A utility is required to report sales in the county in which the consumption of the tangible personal property occurs.

(E) A taxpayer subject to the tax imposed by Section 12-36-920, who owns or manages rental units in more than one county, must report separately in his sales tax return the total gross proceeds from business done in each county.

(F) The gross proceeds of sales of tangible personal property delivered after the imposition date of the tax levied under this article in a county, either under the terms of a construction contract executed before the imposition date, or a written bid submitted before the imposition date, culminating in a construction contract entered into before or after the imposition date, are exempt from the sales and use tax provided in this article if a verified copy of the contract is filed with the Department of Revenue within six months after the imposition date of the sales and use tax provided for in this article.

(G) Notwithstanding the imposition date of the sales and use tax authorized pursuant to this chapter, with respect to services that are billed regularly on a monthly basis, the sales and use tax authorized pursuant to this article is imposed beginning on the first day of the billing period beginning on or after the imposition date.

SECTION 4-10-360. Revenue remitted to State Treasurer and held in a separate fund.

The revenues of the tax collected under this article must be remitted to the Department of Revenue and placed on deposit with the State Treasurer and credited to a fund separate and distinct from the general fund of the State. After deducting the amount of any refunds made and costs to the Department of Revenue of administering the tax, not to exceed one percent of the revenues, the State Treasurer shall distribute the revenues quarterly to the county treasurer in the county area in which the tax is imposed and the revenues must be used only for the purposes stated in the imposition ordinance. The State Treasurer may correct misallocations by adjusting subsequent distributions, but these adjustments must be made in the same fiscal year as the misallocations. However, allocations made as a result of city or county code errors must be corrected prospectively. Within thirty days of the receipt of any quarterly payment, the county treasurer or the county administrator shall certify to the Department of Revenue amounts of net proceeds applied to the costs of each project and the amount of project costs remaining to be paid and, if bonds have been issued that were approved in the referendum, a schedule of payments remaining due on the bonds that are payable from the net proceeds of the sales tax authorized in the referendum.

SECTION 4-10-370. Calculating distributions to counties; confidentiality.

The Department of Revenue shall furnish data to the State Treasurer and to the county treasurers receiving revenues for the purpose of calculating distributions and estimating revenues. The information that must be supplied to counties and municipalities upon request includes, but is not limited to, gross receipts, net taxable sales, and tax liability by taxpayers. Information about a specific taxpayer is considered confidential and is governed by the provisions of Section 12-54-240. A person violating this section is subject to the penalties provided in Section 12-54-240.

SECTION 4-10-380. Unidentified funds; transfer and supplemental distributions.

Annually, and only in the month of June, funds collected by the department from the local option capital project sales tax, which are not identified as to the governmental unit due the tax, must be transferred, after reasonable effort by the department to determine the appropriate governmental unit, to the State Treasurer's Office. The State Treasurer shall distribute these funds to the county treasurer in the county area in which the tax is imposed and the revenues must be used only for the purposes stated in the imposition ordinance. The State Treasurer shall calculate this supplemental distribution on a proportional basis, based on the current fiscal year's county area revenue collections.





SECTION 4-10-510. Article title.

This article may be cited as the "Personal Property Tax Exemption Sales Tax Act".

SECTION 4-10-520. Purpose.

This article provides the only method in which the governing body of a county by ordinance may exempt private passenger motor vehicles, motorcycles, general aviation aircraft, boats, and boat motors from property taxes levied in the county as provided in Section 3, Article X of the Constitution of this State.

SECTION 4-10-530. Meaning of "county".

As used in this article, a county has the meaning provided for "county areas" in Section 4-10-10(1).

SECTION 4-10-540. Imposition of sales and use tax to replace vehicle tax.

(A) Subject to the requirements of this article, the county council by ordinance may impose a sales and use tax in increments of one-tenth of one percent, not to exceed two percent, subject to referendum approval. 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 private passenger motor vehicle, motorcycle, general aviation aircraft, boat, and boat motor property tax revenue in the county in the most recently completed fiscal year, but in no case more than two percent. The county council must obtain from the Board of Economic Advisors the board's certified estimate of the rate of sales and use tax necessary in the county to equal property tax revenues derived from private passenger motor vehicles, motorcycles, general aviation aircraft, boats, and boat motors in the latest completed fiscal year. If this rate exceeds two percent, the maximum rate the board may certify is two percent. This certified rate is the rate of tax that must appear in the referendum question. If the revenue of a two percent tax does not at least equal the revenue not collected, then for the first year of implementation, the shortfall must be made up by a distribution to the county from the Trust Fund for Tax Relief, and this distribution is considered additional sales tax revenue pursuant to this article. Thereafter, this distribution must be adjusted by an amount equal to any increase in the consumer price index in the most recently completed calendar year, but in no case may this distribution result in a reimbursement to a county that exceeds the personal property tax revenue not collected because of the exemption allowed by this article.

(B) If the property tax assessment ratio applicable to private passenger motor vehicles and motorcycles is reduced, then for a county where the tax allowed by this article is imposed, the board shall certify a new tax rate applying the reduced assessment ratio to the assessed value of vehicles in the county in the most recently completed fiscal year, using the millage applicable for that fiscal year, and calculate a tax rate sufficient to produce that revenue in a fiscal year plus the revenue not collected because of the exemption for general aviation aircraft, boats, and boat motors from the original calculation, not to exceed two percent. This new rate applies effective beginning with the month the assessment ratio changes and continues to apply while that assessment ratio applies or until the tax is rescinded.

SECTION 4-10-550. Ordinance and referendum; certification of results.

(A) The sales and use tax authorized by this article is imposed by an enacting ordinance of the county council.

(B) Upon receipt of the ordinance, the county election commission shall conduct a referendum on the question of imposing the sales and use tax. A referendum for this purpose must be held at the time of the general election. Two weeks before the referendum the election commission shall publish in a newspaper of general circulation the question that is to appear on the ballot. This notice is in lieu of any other notice otherwise required by law.

(C) The referendum question to be on the ballot must read substantially as follows:

"Must a (rate) sales and use tax be imposed in (county) to replace property tax revenues not collected because of a one hundred percent property tax exemption for private passenger motor vehicles, motorcycles, general aviation aircraft, boats, and boat motors otherwise taxable in the county?

Yes [ ]

No [ ]"

(D) All qualified electors desiring to vote in favor of imposing the tax shall vote "Yes" and all qualified electors opposed to imposing the tax shall vote "No". If a majority of the votes cast are in favor of imposing the tax, then the tax is imposed as provided in this article and beginning for motor vehicle tax years beginning on and after that date, and all other property tax years beginning after the year in which the referendum is held, all private passenger motor vehicles as defined in Section 56-3-630, motorcycles, general aviation aircraft, boats, and boat motors otherwise taxable in the county are exempt from property taxes levied in the county. The election commission shall conduct the referendum under the election laws of this State, mutatis mutandis, and shall certify the result no later than December thirty-first to the county governing body and to the Department of Revenue.

(E) Upon receipt of the returns of the referendum, the county council, by resolution, shall declare the results thereof. The results of the referendum may not be questioned except by a suit or proceeding instituted within thirty days from the date the resolution is adopted.

SECTION 4-10-560. Date of imposition.

If the sales and use tax is approved in the referendum, the tax is imposed on the first of July following the date of the referendum . If the certification is not timely made to the Department of Revenue, the imposition and property tax exemption is postponed for twelve months.

SECTION 4-10-570. Petition to rescind; referendum.

(A) Upon petition of at least fifteen percent of the qualified electors of a county presented to the county council of the county which has implemented the sales and use tax authorized by this article requesting that this tax be rescinded, the council shall direct the county election commission to conduct a referendum on the question of rescinding the sales and use tax. A referendum for this purpose must be held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November following verification of the petition. Two weeks before the referendum the election commission shall publish in a newspaper of general circulation the question that is to appear on the ballot. This notice is in lieu of any other notice otherwise required by law.

(B) The referendum question to be on the ballot must read substantially as follows:

"Must the (rate) sales and use tax imposed in (county) be rescinded with the revenue not collected replaced by extending the property tax to private passenger motor vehicles, motorcycles, general aviation aircraft, boats, and boat motors previously not subject to property tax in this county?

Yes [ ]

No [ ]"

(C)(1) All qualified electors desiring to vote in favor of rescinding the tax shall vote "Yes" and all qualified electors opposed to rescinding the tax shall vote "No". If a majority of the votes cast are in favor of rescinding the tax, then the tax is rescinded effective July first following the referendum and property taxes apply to all private passenger motor vehicles, motorcycles, general aviation aircraft, boats, and boat motors taxable in the county for motor vehicle tax years beginning after June 30 following the referendum and other property tax years beginning after the year in which the referendum is held. The election commission shall conduct the referendum under the election laws of this State, mutatis mutandis, and shall certify the result no later than December thirty-first to the county council. If a majority "Yes" vote is certified, it must be certified to the Department of Revenue by the same date.

(2) Upon receipt of the return of the referendum, the county council shall declare the results thereof by resolution. The results of the referendum may not be questioned except by a suit or proceeding instituted within thirty days from the date the resolution is adopted.

(D) A referendum for rescission of this tax may not be held earlier than two years after the tax has been imposed in the county. If a majority of the qualified electors voting in the rescission referendum vote against rescinding the tax, no further rescission referendums may be held for a period of two years. If a majority of the qualified electors vote in favor of rescinding the tax, the tax may not be reimposed in the county for a period of two years. The petition requesting rescission 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 or the referendum must be held on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November of the following year.

SECTION 4-10-580. Administration and collection.

(A) The tax levied pursuant to this article must be administered and collected by the Department of Revenue in the same manner that other sales and use taxes are collected. The department may prescribe amounts that may be added to the sales price because of the tax.

(B) The tax authorized by this article is in addition to all other local sales and use taxes and applies to the gross proceeds of sales in the applicable area that is subject to the tax imposed by Chapter 36 of Title 12 and the enforcement provisions of Chapter 54 of Title 12. The gross proceeds of the sale of items subject to a maximum tax in Chapter 36 of Title 12 are exempt from the tax imposed by this article. The tax imposed by this article also applies to tangible personal property subject to the use tax in Article 13, Chapter 36 of Title 12.

(C) Taxpayers required to remit taxes under Article 13, Chapter 36 of Title 12 shall identify the county in which the personal property purchased at retail is stored, used, or consumed in this State.

(D) Utilities shall report sales in the county in which the consumption of the tangible personal property occurs.

(E) A taxpayer subject to the tax imposed by Section 12-36-920, who owns or manages rental units in more than one county shall report separately in his sales tax return the total gross proceeds from business done in each county.

(F) The gross proceeds of sales of tangible personal property delivered after the imposition date of the tax levied under this article in a county, either under the terms of a construction contract executed before the imposition date, or a written bid submitted before the imposition date, culminating in a construction contract entered into before or after the imposition date, are exempt from the sales and use tax provided in this article if a verified copy of the contract is filed with the Department of Revenue within six months after the imposition date of the sales and use tax provided for in this article.

(G) Notwithstanding the imposition date of the sales and use tax authorized pursuant to this chapter, with respect to services that are billed regularly on a monthly basis, the sales and use tax authorized pursuant to this article is imposed beginning on the first day of the billing period beginning on or after the imposition date.

SECTION 4-10-590. Distribution of revenues.

(A) The revenues of the tax collected under this article must be remitted to the Department of Revenue and placed on deposit with the State Treasurer and credited to a fund separate and distinct from the general fund of the State. After deducting the amount of any refunds made and costs to the Department of Revenue of administering the tax, not to exceed one percent of the revenues, the State Treasurer shall distribute the revenues quarterly to the county treasurer of the county in which the tax is imposed. The State Treasurer may correct misallocations by adjusting subsequent distributions, but these adjustments must be made in the same fiscal year as the misallocations.

(B) Revenues of the tax must be distributed by the county treasurer to the general funds of property taxing entities in the county in the proportion that each such entity collects of all property taxes levied in the county.

SECTION 4-10-600. Availability of data to calculate distributions.

The Board of Economic Advisors shall furnish data to the State Treasurer and to the counties receiving revenues for the purpose of calculating distributions and estimating revenues. The information that must be supplied to counties upon request includes, but is not limited to, gross receipts, net taxable sales, and tax liability by taxpayers. Information about a specific taxpayer is considered confidential and is governed by the provisions of Section 12-54-240. A person violating this section is subject to the penalties provided in Section 12-54-240.