South Carolina General Assembly
118th Session, 2009-2010

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Bill 879

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


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Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ADOPTED

March 4, 2010

S. 879

Introduced by Senator Campsen

S. Printed 3/4/10--S.

Read the first time May 21, 2009.

            

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 12-37-3150, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO ASSESSABLE TRANSFERS OF INTEREST FOR PURPOSES OF DETERMINING THE VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY FOR PROPERTY TAXATION, SO AS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INSTANCES OF PROPERTY TRANSFERS NOT CONSIDERED ASSESSABLE TRANSFERS OF INTEREST, INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FRACTIONAL INTERESTS CONSTITUTING NOT MORE THAN FIFTY PERCENT OF FEE SIMPLE TITLE, TRANSFERS INTO AND OUT OF A SINGLE MEMBER LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NOT TAXED AS A CORPORATION WHEN THE SINGLE MEMBER IS THE TRANSFEREE AND TRANSFEROR, TRANSFERS RELATING TO EASEMENTS, TRANSFERS TO QUIET TITLE OR ESTABLISH A BOUNDARY LINE, AND TRANSFERS CREATING OR TERMINATING A JOINT TENANCY WITH RIGHTS OF SURVIVORSHIP IF THE GRANTORS AND GRANTEES ARE THE SAME.

Amend Title To Conform

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

SECTION    1.    A.        Section 12-37-3150(B) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 57 of 2007, is further amended to read:

"(B)    An assessable transfer of interest does not include:

(1)    transfers not subject to federal income tax in the following circumstances:

(a)    1033 (Conversions-Fire and Insurance Proceeds to Rebuild);

(b)    1041 (Transfers of Property Between Spouses or Incident to Divorce);

(c)    351 (Transfer to a Corporation Controlled by Transferor);

(d)    355 (Distribution by a Controlled Corporation);

(e)    368 (Corporate Reorganizations); or

(f)    721 (Nonrecognition of Gain or Loss on a Contribution to a Partnership).

Number references in the above subitems are to sections of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as defined in Section 12-6-40;

(2)    a transfer of that portion of property subject to a life estate or life lease retained by the transferor, until expiration or termination of the life estate or life lease;

(3)    a transfer through foreclosure or forfeiture of a recorded instrument or through deed or conveyance in lieu of a foreclosure or forfeiture, until the redemption period has expired;

(4)    a transfer by redemption by the person to whom taxes are assessed of property previously sold for delinquent taxes;

(5)    a conveyance to a trust if the settlor or the settlor's spouse, or both, convey the property to the trust and the sole present beneficiary of the trust is the settlor or the settlor's spouse, or both;

(6)    a transfer for security or an assignment or discharge of a security interest;

(7)    a transfer of real property or other ownership interests among members of an affiliated group. As used in this item, 'affiliated group' is as defined in Section 1504 of the Internal Revenue Code as defined in Section 12-6-40. Upon request of the applicable property tax assessor, a corporation shall furnish proof within forty-five days that a transfer meets the requirements of this item. A corporation that fails to comply with this request is subject to a civil penalty as provided in Section 12-37-3160(B);

(8)    a transfer of real property or other ownership interests among corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships, or other legal entities if the entities involved are commonly controlled. Upon request by the applicable property tax assessor, a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or other legal entity shall furnish proof within forty-five days that a transfer meets the requirements of this item. A corporation, partnership, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or other legal entity that fails to comply with this request is subject to a civil penalty as provided in Section 12-37-3160(B); or

(9)    a transfer of an interest in a timeshare unit by deed or lease;

(10)    a transfer of an undivided, fractional ownership interest in real estate in a single transaction or as a part of a series of related transactions, if the ownership interest or interests conveyed, or otherwise transferred, in the single transaction or series of related transactions within a twenty-five year period, is not more than fifty percent of the entire fee simple title to the real estate;

(11)    a transfer to a single member limited liability company, not taxed separately as a corporation, by its single member or a transfer from a single member limited liability company, not taxed separately as a corporation, to its single member, as provided in Section 12-2-25(B)(1);

(12)    a conveyance, assignment, release, or modification of an easement, including, but not limited to:

(a)    a conservation easement, as defined in Chapter 8 of Title 27;

(b)    a utility easement; or

(c)    an easement for ingress, egress, or regress;

(13)    a transfer or renunciation by deed, release, or agreement of a claim of interest in real property for the purpose of quieting and confirming title to real property in the name of one or more of the existing owners of the real property or for the purpose of confirming or establishing the location of an uncertain or disputed boundary line; or

(14)    the execution or recording of a deed to real property for the purpose of creating or terminating a joint tenancy with rights of survivorship, provided the grantors and grantees are the same."

B.        Section 12-37-3150(A)(8) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(8)    a transfer of an ownership interest in a single transaction or as a part of a series of related transactions within a twenty-five year period in a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or other legal entity if the ownership interest conveyed is more than fifty percent of the corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or other legal entity. This provision does not apply to transfers that are not subject to federal income tax, as provided in subsection (B)(1), including, but not limited to, transfers of interests to spouses. The corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or other legal entity shall notify the applicable property tax assessor on a form provided by the Department of Revenue not more than forty-five days after a conveyance of an ownership interest that constitutes an assessable transfer of interest or transfer of ownership under this item. Failure to provide this notice or failure to provide accurate information of a transaction required to be reported by this subitem subjects the property to a civil penalty of not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars as determined by the assessor. This penalty is enforceable and collectible as property tax and is in addition to any other penalties that may apply. Failure to provide this notice is a separate offense for each year after the notice was required;"

C.        This section applies for real property transfers after 2009. No refund is allowed on account of values adjusted by the provisions of this section.

SECTION    2.    Section 12-37-3140(B) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(B)    Any increase in the fair market value of real property attributable to the periodic countywide appraisal and equalization program implemented pursuant to Section 12-43-217 is limited to fifteen percent within a five-year period to the otherwise applicable fair market value. This limit must be calculated on the land and improvements as a whole. However, this limit does not apply to the fair market value of additions or improvements to real property in the year those additions or improvements are first subject to property tax, nor do they apply to the fair market value of real property when an assessable transfer of interest occurred in the year that the transfer value is first subject to tax."

SECTION    3.    Except where otherwise stated, this act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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