“This is a huge deal for our members. Right now, we have a patchwork of local laws that really complicates things for people who do business in different jurisdictions. If you have a store in Columbia and another in Charleston, who have to have two separate business licenses and pay two separate fees to two different local governments on two different days.
“H. 4967 would change that by making business licensing more of a one-stop process. If this bill passes and is signed into law, it’s going to save businesses a lot of time and money and make South Carolina an even better place to do business.
“On behalf of our members, I want to thank Rep. Todd Atwater, the bill’s primary sponsor, along with the other members of the House who understand the impact these commonsense reforms would have on small business.”
The legislation would:
- Require local governments to hold a public hearing before issuing any business license tax ordinance
- Require the Department of Revenue, not local governments, to collect the tax Require that the tax is due on Feb. 1, regardless of the city or county where the business is located
- Allow businesses to pay the tax online.
- Require local governments to use certain forms, dates, formulas and penalties; currently, there is a patchwork of local rules and regulations
- Create a statewide appeals process
- Specify that a business is not liable for the business license tax of another business with which it contracts
NFIB/South Carolina is that state’s leading small-business association 3,500 dues-paying members representing a cross section of the state’s economy. To learn more, visit http://www.NFIB.com/SC or follow @NFIB_SC on Twitter.
