South Carolina General Assembly
119th Session, 2011-2012

Download This Version in Microsoft Word format

Bill 4996

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

AMENDED

April 24, 2012

H. 4996

Introduced by Reps. Stringer, Bingham, Harrell, White, McCoy, Norman, Clemmons, Quinn, Ballentine, Ryan, Brannon, Bedingfield, Spires, Thayer, Parker, Taylor, Daning, Hearn, J.R. Smith, Patrick, Murphy, Bowen, Lowe, Nanney, Hiott, Sottile, Loftis, Allison, Atwater, Bannister, Chumley, Crosby, Delleney, Erickson, Hamilton, Hardwick, Henderson, Herbkersman, Hixon, Horne, Limehouse, Long, Merrill, D.C. Moss, V.S. Moss, Owens, Pinson, Pope, Sandifer, Simrill, G.M. Smith, G.R. Smith, Tallon, Willis, Young and Forrester

S. Printed 4/24/12--H.

Read the first time March 13, 2012.

            

STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED FISCAL IMPACT

REVENUE IMPACT 1/

This bill, as amended, will reduce general fund individual income tax revenue by $15,063,544 in FY 2012-13, by $15,829,621 in FY 2013-14, by $16,624,918 in FY 2014-15, and $17,450,425 in FY 2015-16 from reduced income tax payments or increased refunds. The cumulative general fund revenue individual income tax revenue reduction will total $64,968,508 by FY 2015-16.

Explanation of Bill as Amended by Ways and Means Committee on 3/27/2012

This bill would reduce the optional tax rate on active trade or business income received by a pass-through business from 5% to 3% over four tax years beginning in tax year 2012. The proposal lowers the current tax rate of 5% by 0.5% per year through tax year 2015. By tax year 2015, or FY 2015-16, the tax rate on active trade or business income will be 3%. At the proposed 3% tax rate, we estimate that taxpayers will report 0.5% more pass-through active trade or business income by tax year 2015. We further anticipate that active trade or business income will increase 2.4% annually based on historic Internal Revenue Service data. Based on tax year 2010 data from the Department of Revenue inflated to tax year 2015, we estimate that taxpayers will report $3,248,425,376 in pass-through active trade or business income on their income tax returns. At the current 5% tax rate, these taxpayers would remit $162,421,269 in individual income tax in FY 2015-16. At the proposed 3% tax rate, we estimate that taxpayers will remit $97,452,761 in tax on their pass-through active trade or business income, a reduction of $64,968,508 from the expected revenue at the current 5% tax rate. On an annual basis during the phase-in period, this bill, as amended, will reduce general fund individual income tax revenue by $15,063,544 in FY 2012-13, by $15,829,621 in FY 2013-14, by $16,624,918 in FY 2014-15, and $17,450,425 in FY 2015-16 from reduced income tax payments or increased refunds. The cumulative general fund individual income tax revenue reduction will total $64,968,508 by FY 2015-16.

Active Trade or Business Income Revenue Impact for H.4996

FY 2012-13 Number of returns filed    58,884

FY 2012-13 Total Business Income    5,275,387,584

FY 2012-13 Eligible Business Income at

5% optional rate    3,008,947,529

        FY     Tax    Tax     Tax Paid    Annual    Cumulative

2012-1    Rate    Paid    at 5%    Tax    Tax

Eligible                Reduction    Reduction

        Business

Income

FY

13    TY 12    3,008,947,529    5.0%    150,447,376    150,447,376    base year

FY                         expectation

13    TY 12    3,012,708,714    4.5%    135,571,892    150,635,436    15,063,544    15,063,544

FY

14    TY 13    3,089,316,428    4.0%    123,572,657    154,465,821    15,829,621    30,893,164

FY

15    TY 14    3,167,872,138    3.5%    110,875,525    158,393,607    16,624,918    47,518,082

FY

16    TY 15    3,248,425,376    3.0%    97,452,761    162,421,269    17,450,425    64,968,508

Based on SC tax data for taxpayers currently paying the optional 5% rate on active trade or business income, we expect 0.5% more business income during the 4 year phase-in will be claimed by taxpayers at the proposed lower optional rates as the rate declines from 5% down to 3%.

We anticipate that active trade or business will grow at a rate of 2.4% annually, the historical growth rate calculated from Internal Revenue data.

Explanation of Bill as Introduced

This bill reduces the optional tax rate on active trade or business income received by a pass-through business from 5% to 3% beginning in tax year 2012. Based on tax year 2010 data from the Department of Revenue inflated to tax year 2012, we estimate that 58,884 taxpayers will report $3,008,947,529 in pass-through active trade or business income on their 2012 income tax returns. At the current 5% tax rate, these taxpayers would remit $150,447,376 in individual income tax in FY 2012-13. At the proposed 3% tax rate we estimate that 0.5% more pass-through active trade or business income, or $3,023,992,267, would be reported on taxpayer returns. This would generate $90,719,768 in income tax liability at the proposed 3% tax rate compared to the estimated $150,447,376 in tax at the current 5% tax rate in FY 2012-13. We expect that this bill will reduce general fund individual income tax revenue by $59,727,608 in FY 2012-13 from reduced income tax payments or increased refunds.

Approved By:

Frank A. Rainwater

Board of Economic Advisors

1/ This statement meets the requirement of Section 2-7-71 for a state revenue impact by the BEA, or Section 2-7-76 for a local revenue impact or Section 6-1-85(B) for an estimate of the shift in local property tax incidence by the Office of Economic Research.

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 12-6-545, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO INCOME TAX RATES FOR PASS-THROUGH TRADE AND BUSINESS INCOME, SO AS TO REDUCE THE TAX RATE FROM FIVE PERCENT TO THREE PERCENT.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Section 12-6-545(B)(2)    of the 1976 Code is amended read:

"(2)    The rate of the income tax imposed pursuant to this subsection is:

Taxable Year Beginning in    Rate of Tax

2006                            6.5 percent

2007                            6 percent

2008                         5.5 percent

after 2008 through 2011        5 percent

2012                            4.5 percent

2013                            4 percent

2014                            3.5 percent

after 2014                            3 percent"

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on April 24, 2012 at 7:02 PM