South Carolina General Assembly
110th Session, 1993-1994

Bill 4684


Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


                    Current Status

Introducing Body:               House
Bill Number:                    4684
Primary Sponsor:                Scott
Committee Number:               30
Type of Legislation:            GB
Subject:                        Income Tax Credit for
                                Property Tax Relief Act
Residing Body:                  House
Current Committee:              Ways and Means
Computer Document Number:       JIC/5384HC.94
Introduced Date:                19940208
Last History Body:              House
Last History Date:              19940208
Last History Type:              Introduced, read first time,
                                referred to Committee
Scope of Legislation:           Statewide
All Sponsors:                   Scott
                                Inabinett
                                Beatty
                                Cobb-Hunter
                                J. Brown
                                Byrd
                                Neal
                                Breeland
                                Williams
                                White
Type of Legislation:            General Bill



History


Bill  Body    Date          Action Description              CMN  Leg Involved
____  ______  ____________  ______________________________  ___  ____________

4684  House   19940208      Introduced, read first time,    30
                            referred to Committee

View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.


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

A BILL

TO AMEND CHAPTER 37, TITLE 12, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO PROPERTY TAXES, BY ADDING ARTICLE 23 SO AS TO ENACT THE INCOME TAX CREDIT FOR PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT.

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 37, Title 12 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Article 23

Income Tax Credit

for

Property Tax Relief Act

Section 12-37-3310. As used in this article:

(1) `Gross household income' means all income, for all individuals residing within the household, from whatever source derived in a taxable year including, but not limited to:

(a) compensation for services including fees, commissions, and similar items;

(b) gross income derived from dealings in property;

(c) gains derived from dealings in property;

(d) interest;

(e) rents;

(f) royalties;

(g) dividends;

(h) alimony;

(i) income from life insurance and endowment contracts;

(j) annuities;

(k) pensions;

(l) income from discharge of indebtedness;

(m) distributive share of partnership gross income;

(n) income from an interest in an estate or trust; and

(o) federal old age, survivor, or disability benefits.

(2) `Household' means an individual or group of individuals living together in a room or group of rooms as a housing unit.

(3) `Claimant' means a person who files a claim for property tax relief under this article who is eligible to claim the homestead exemption allowed pursuant to Section 12-37-250 and who meets the gross household income requirements of Section 12-37-3360.

(4) `Property taxes accrued' means property taxes, exclusive of special assessments, penalties, and charges for service, levied on a claimant's homestead in this State in a year.

Section 12-37-3320. The right to file a claim under this article is personal to the claimant and does not survive the claimant's death, but the right may be exercised on behalf of a claimant by the claimant's legal guardian or attorney-in-fact. If a claimant dies after having filed a timely claim, the amount of the claim must be disbursed to another member of the household as determined by the department. If the claimant was the only member of his household, the claim may be paid to the claimant's personal representative.

Section 12-37-3330. Subject to limitations provided in this article, a claimant may claim in a year as a credit against South Carolina individual income taxes due on his income, a percentage of property taxes accrued in the preceding calendar year. If the allowable amount of the claim exceeds the income taxes due on claimant's income, the amount of the claim not used as an offset against income taxes, after certification by the department, must be paid to the claimant. No interest is allowed on a payment made to a claimant pursuant to this article.

Section 12-37-3340. No claim with respect to property taxes accrued may be paid or is allowed, unless the claim is filed with the department on or before the due date, without regard to any extension, for filing the South Carolina individual income tax return for the year with respect to which the claim for credit is made. In case of sickness, absence, or other disability, or for other good cause shown, the department may extend for not more than six months the time for filing a claim.

Section 12-37-3350. The amount of a claim otherwise payable under this article may be applied by the department against a liability outstanding against the claimant, or against the claimant's spouse who was a member of the claimant's household in the year to which the claim relates.

Section 12-37-3360. Only one claimant a household a year is entitled to the credit allowed by this article.

Section 12-37-3370. (A) The amount of a claim made pursuant to this article is determined as provided in subsection (B) of this section except that the total credit may not exceed two hundred fifty dollars.

(B) For a taxable year a claimant is allowed a credit in the amount by which the property tax on the homestead exceeds a percentage of the claimant's gross household income for the taxable year determined according to the following schedule:

If Gross Household Then the Taxpayer is Entitled

Income (Rounded to to Credit for Property Tax

the Nearest Income) paid in Excess of this

is: Percent of that Income.

$ O - 9,999 1.0%

10,000-14,999 1.5%

15,000-19,999 2.0%

20,000-24,999 2.25%

25,000 or more no credit

(C) The department shall prepare a table under which claims under this article must be determined. The amount of claim as shown in this table for each bracket must be computed only to the nearest dollar.

Section 12-37-3380. The department shall prescribe and make available suitable forms with instructions for claimants, including a form which may be included with or separate from the individual income tax return. The form must include the table required pursuant to Section 12-37-3370(C).

The claim must be in the form the department prescribes. Those claimants who certify on the prescribed form that there is no income tax liability are not required to file an individual income tax return.

Section 12-37-3390. Every claimant under this article shall supply the department, in support of the claim, a receipt of property taxes paid for purposes of this article and any changes of homestead.

Section 12-37-3400. If on the audit of a claim filed under this article the department determines the amount to have been incorrectly determined, the claim must be corrected. If the claim has been refunded or allowed as a credit against income taxes otherwise payable, the amount of the credit disallowed or refunded in error may be recovered by assessment as income taxes are assessed with applicable interest allowed by Section 12-54-20.

Section 12-37-3410. No claim for relief under this article is allowed to a person who is a recipient of public funds for the payment of the property taxes accrued during the period for which the claim is filed.

Section 12-37-3420. A claim must be disallowed if the department finds that the claimant received title to his homestead primarily for the purpose of receiving benefits under this article."

SECTION 2. Upon approval by the Governor, this act takes effect for property tax years years beginning after 1994.

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