Harvey Peeler

The fight against the unfair point-of-sale tax is moving in the right direction with the introduction of a bill in the Senate to repeal the tax. The lead sponsor of the legislation is Sen. Paul Campbell, who is joined by Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler. It effectively eliminates point-of-sale and puts South Carolina back on the right track. In the House, Rep. Jim Merrill submitted a companion bill, H. 3713.

“Point-of-sale was a consequence of Act 388 that needed to be remedied,” Campbell said. “It’s been a hindrance to economic growth in this state and I’m looking do something about it.”

Point-of-sale is an increased levy on property sales that goes to municipal governments. In reality, taxes on one particular piece of property could be much higher than an identical piece of property depending entirely on when it is bought. These inflated taxes are causing some people and businesses to forgo buying a house or commercial property. Instead, those potential buyers and businesses are moving to other states.

“Not only is the tax inherently unfair, it’s an impediment to getting South Carolina’s real estate market back on good footing,” Peeler said. “We need to do everything we can to get that economic engine running again.”