South-Carolina
Identical homes, different tax bills: South Carolina homeowners blame ‘unfair’ state law
INDIAN LAND, S.C. (WBTV) – Two homes in a Lancaster County subdivision sit side by side.
Built in 2008, the 3,987 sq. feet floor plans with two-door garages are virtually identical. Click back and forth between the property listings on Lancaster County’s online property records, and almost no text changes.
No text, that is, except the tax bills: Ed Dockweiler on Cressingham Drive owes the county $3,560 in property taxes for 2023.
His neighbor next door in the identical home? $2,319.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” Dockweiler said, standing outside the home this fall that he bought in late 2021. “I don’t want to see my neighbor’s taxes increase. What I do want to see is a more level playing field.”
Just up the road in the same subdivision, realtor Brian McCarron has a slightly larger home than Dockweiler and a tax bill a thousand dollars cheaper.
When another new neighbor in the subdivision approached McCarron to ask why he’d been hit with a property tax bill far higher than he’d been told to expect when buying his new home, McCarron went digging.
A South Carolina law implemented in 2006, as McCarron found out, caps how much the taxable value of a home can increase over a five-year period to just 15% — unless the home is sold.
In other words, a home’s taxable worth of $300,000 in 2018 can at maximum only have a taxable value of $345,000 when reassessed in 2023 – until someone like Dockweiler comes along in 2021 and purchases the home for $550,000 at the current market rate.
That’s exactly what happened to Dockweiler and dozens of other new homeowners, who responded in frustration when McCarron put out a call on social media asking who was noticing unexpected tax increases after purchasing a home in 2021 or since.
South Carolina’s law protects longtime homeowners in South Carolina from massive swings in the housing market, such as the country has seen since mid-2021. Anyone who bought before the pandemic in the subdivision is paying taxes on an amount that’s close to the one they paid when closing on the home.
Newcomers, however, pay a price. Dockweiler’s home was worth $300,000 when it was built in 2008, but anyone who’s been paying attention to housing costs in the Charlotte metro area – or anywhere else in the country – in the last couple of years won’t be surprised by the 83% increase in value when he bought it in 2021.
“When you look at a house that’s all the sudden contributing a thousand dollars more to the county’s budget? That seems excessive and not really fair to somebody who’s two doors down and still contributing essentially the same amount of money,” McCarron explained. “I understand cost goes up every year, but there’s got to be a way we can balance that.”
When asked about the situation, Lancaster County administrator Dennis Marshall pointed to the state-mandated five-year reassessment schedule that the county adheres to, saying it “evens out” the differences (It’s the reassessment, however, that state law caps at 15% and hasn’t kept up with rapidly rising market values.).
“Those differences get evened out through the state-mandated reassessment process the County must undertake every five years,” Marshall wrote in an email. “Every County in South Carolina experiences these differences in residential tax values, but Lancaster, like the other 45 counties, undertakes the mandated reassessment process to address the temporary disparity in assessed home values.”
A guide from Charleston County in South Carolina makes it explicit, however: “At reassessment, the taxable value can increase no more than 15% over the previous taxable value.”
Laws capping home value increases until sale aren’t uncommon. More than a dozen states have some kind of cap on assessment increases, according to the finance and business media outlet Kiplinger.
North Carolina is not one of those states, something that Charlotte-area realtor April Villines says contributes to a whole different set of issues where longtime homeowners are more subject to the whims of the market.
“Each county can actually come in and assess at any time, so if they feel the need to do an assessment, they’re going to go ahead and do that,” Villines explained. “It has caused some disruption during the market recently because of the heavy increase in property values.”
Mecklenburg County, which re-assesses every four years, partially offset that impact in the last assessment by lowering their tax rates instead, Villines noted. Still, the market impact on homeowners in North Carolina can be severe.
“I think that’s really the question we need to be asking; does the 26% in market value increase, does that really need to reflect tax increases? So I think we need to almost reconsider our adjustment.”
Copyright 2023 WBTV. All rights reserved.
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South-Carolina
South Carolina offers extra tax relief due to Tropical Storm Debby
![South Carolina offers extra tax relief due to Tropical Storm Debby South Carolina offers extra tax relief due to Tropical Storm Debby](https://gray-wmbf-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/AJ3LCBWFPFFH3A2SNGPBX6K75A.png?auth=b1a85bb13404db3aaae0a5c0083f26020f1cf122c5f7f4c1720e85ed5f5f499e&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – The South Carolina Department of Revenue is granting relief to taxpayers across the state as a result of Tropical Storm Debby Debby.
The SCDOR said Wednesday that several returns and payments originally due between Aug. 4 and Feb. 3, 2025, will now be due Feb. 3, 2025.
Those returns and payments include:
- 2023 Income Tax returns from individuals, businesses, and tax-exempt organizations who had a valid extension to file their returns.
- Because tax payments related to 2023 Individual Income Tax returns were due April 15, 2024, those payments are not eligible for this relief.
- Quarterly Estimated Income Tax payments originally due on Sept. 16, 2024, Dec. 16, 2024 (for corporate taxpayers), and Jan. 15, 2025 (for non-corporate taxpayers).
- Certain quarterly Withholding Tax returns and payments, including those originally due on Oct. 31, 2024 and Jan. 31, 2025.
That relief applies to all 46 counties and, according to the SCDOT, follows the IRS’s lead in issuing relief due to the storm.
Taxpayers are not required to take any action, as the SCDOR with automatically provide the relief.
The Feb. 3, 2025 relief does not apply to other state taxes administered by the SCDOR.
Click here for more information.
Stay with WMBF News for updates.
Copyright 2024 WMBF. All rights reserved.
South-Carolina
Video South Carolina Supreme Court to hear Murdaugh jury tampering appeal
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South Carolina Supreme Court to hear Murdaugh jury tampering appeal
The South Carolina court’s decision overturns a January hearing where former Chief Justice Jean Toal denied Alex Murdaugh a new trial after allegations of jury tampering by court clerk Becky Hill.
August 14, 2024
South-Carolina
Dining Out: Follow SC Chef Ambassadors Culinary Trail
![Dining Out: Follow SC Chef Ambassadors Culinary Trail Dining Out: Follow SC Chef Ambassadors Culinary Trail](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/12/PUPP/74770141007-0824-tg-do-2024-chef-amassadors.jpg?auto=webp&crop=591,333,x0,y8&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Launched in 2015, the South Carolina Chef Ambassador program was designed to showcase the culinary traditions and agricultural heritage of our state.
Each year, chefs are selected from the Upcountry, Midlands, and Lowcountry areas based on their use of locally sourced ingredients on their menus and for their role in supporting their communities. The new team of Chef Ambassadors then take their recipes to the road, representing South Carolina during food festivals and special events.
To date, 34 chefs have been named to the Chef Ambassador program. In our part of the state, the program has included chef Heidi Trull of Grits & Groceries in Belton, chef William Cribb from Cribbs Kitchen and Willy Taco Feed & Seed in Spartanburg, chef Sarah McClure of Southside Smokehouse & Grille in Landrum, 2014 James Beard semi-finalist chef Tania Harris of Topsoil Kitchen & Market in Travelers Rest, chef Haydn Shaak from Restaurant 17, Hotel Domestique in Travelers Rest and chef Teryi Youngblood of Camilla Kitchen in Greenville.
Eat Local Trail Map & Guide
This unique foodie trail of Chef Ambassador restaurants offers a deep dive into the background of South Carolina’s regional culinary history. Tour some of the top dining spots in the state, meet the chef and try their signature dishes that celebrate local farmers, artisans, and providers.
More: Chef Michael Sibert of White Wine & Butter named a 2024 South Carolina Chef Ambassador
From chef Orchid Paulmeier’s smoked chicken and rib platter at One Hot Momma’s American Grille in Hilton Head, to chef Cooper Thomas’ pecan-encrusted Carolina shrimp at Victors in Florence to Brandon Velie’s Manchester Farms quail with Adluh grits at Juniper in Ridge Springs and chef Erica McCier’s smoked gouda agnolotti at Indigenous Underground in Abbeville, there’s something yummy to discover in every corner of South Carolina. For more info about the SC Chef Ambassador Program and foodie trail, visit discoversouthcarolina.com/chef-ambassadors
More: Travelers Rest chef among South Carolina’s 2022 Chef Ambassadors
YOU CAN GO
Meet the 2024 SC Chef Ambassadors at euphoria: Hungry for more? This year’s Chef Ambassadors will be flexing their culinary skills at euphoria, September 19 – 22, 2024. The 2024 class includes chef Javier Uriarte at Ratio in Elgin, chef Leslie Rohland, owner of The Cottage Café, Bakery and Tea Room in Bluffton, and chef Michael Sibert, owner of Anonymous Burgers in Greer. Watch these culinary talents in action, hear their stories and taste signature dishes during interactive demonstrations, workshops, and more. For tickets and more info, visit euphoriagreenville.com
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