Exempted from the taxes imposed by this chapter are the gross proceeds of sales, or sales price of:
Items in this category may be in any form, including microfilm, microfiche, and CD ROM; however, transactions subject to tax under Sections 12-36-910(B)(3) and 12-36-1310(B)(3) do not fall within this exemption;
For purposes of this exemption, containers mean boxes, crates, bags, bagging, ties, barrels, and other containers;
To qualify for the exemptions provided for in subitems (e) and (f), the taxpayer shall notify the department before the first month it uses the exemption and shall make the required investment and create the required number of full-time new jobs over the seven-year period beginning on the date provided by the taxpayer to the department in its notices. The taxpayer shall notify the department in writing that it has met the seven hundred fifty million dollar investment requirement and has created the three thousand eight hundred full-time new jobs or, after the expiration of the seven-year period, that it has not met the seven hundred fifty million dollar investment requirement and created the three thousand eight hundred full-time new jobs. The department may assess any tax due on fuel purchased tax free pursuant to subitems (e) and (f) but due the State as a result of the taxpayer's failure to meet the seven hundred fifty million dollar investment requirement and create the three thousand eight hundred full-time new jobs. The running of the periods of limitations for assessment of taxes provided in Section 12-54-85 is suspended for the time period beginning with notice to the department before the taxpayer uses the exemption and ending with notice to the department that the taxpayer either has met or has not met the seven hundred fifty million dollar investment requirement and created the three thousand eight hundred full-time new jobs.
As used in subitems (e) and (f), "taxpayer" includes a person who bears a relationship to the taxpayer as described in Section 267(b) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Fiscal Year of Sale | Percentage |
Fiscal year 1997-98 | fifty percent |
After June 30, 1998 | one hundred percent; |
For purposes of this item, a "festival" does not include a recognized state or county fair;
As used in this subitem, "taxpayer" includes a person who bears a relationship to the taxpayer as described in Section 267(b) of the Internal Revenue Code.
To qualify for this exemption, the taxpayer shall notify the department before the first month it uses the exemption and shall make the required investment over the applicable time period beginning on the date provided by the taxpayer to the department in its notices. The taxpayer shall notify the department in writing that it has met the investment requirement or, after the expiration of the applicable time period, that it has not met the investment requirement. The department may assess any tax due on construction materials purchased tax free pursuant to this subitem but due the State as a result of the taxpayer's failure to meet the investment requirement. The running of the periods of limitations for assessment of taxes provided in Section 12-54-85 is suspended for the time period beginning with notice to the department before the taxpayer uses the exemption and ending with notice to the department that the taxpayer either has met or has not met the investment requirement.
As used in this subitem, "taxpayer" includes a person who bears a relationship to the taxpayer as described in Section 267(b) of the Internal Revenue Code;
The department shall prescribe documentation that must be maintained by retailers claiming the exemption allowed by this item. This documentation must be sufficient to identify each individual sale for which the exemption is claimed;
"Research district" means land owned by the State, a county, or other public entity that is designated as a research district by the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina State University, or the Savannah River National Laboratory;
S.C. Code § 12-36-2120
2000 Act No. 399, Section 3.Z., provides, in pertinent part, as follows:
"This section takes effect upon approval by the Governor, or as otherwise stated, except that subsection C. applies to sales occurring after the date of approval by the Governor ...."
2001 Act No. 77, Section 2.B., provides as follows:
"Notwithstanding the general effective date of this act, this section takes effect upon approval of this act by the Governor and applies with respect to retail sales occurring on or after that date and sales before that date for all periods remaining open for the assessment of taxes by agreement or by operation of law. However, a refund is not due a taxpayer of sales and use tax paid on interest, fees, or charges, however described, imposed on a customer for late payment of a bill for electricity or natural gas, or both, before the effective date of this section."
2003 Act No. 69, Section 3.WW.3, provides as follows:
"3. Any sales tax paid as a result of an audit on a company leasing or renting portable toilets shall be refunded by the Department of Revenue upon application by the company requesting a refund. This provision applies for audits showing additional taxes due on and after June 25, 2001, up to the effective date of this section."
2005 Act No. 145, Section 1.C, provides as follows:
"This section [amending item (58)] takes effect for tax years beginning after 2005, but does not authorize or permit refunds of taxes paid."
2005 Act No. 156, Section 5.B, provides as follows:
"This section [amending item (61)] takes effect upon approval by the Governor and applies to all funds collected on or after July 1, 2003."
2006 Act No. 384, Section 11.B, provides as follows:
"Notwithstanding the sales and use rates imposed pursuant to Chapter 36, Title 12 of the 1976 Code, the rate of tax imposed pursuant to that chapter on the gross proceeds of qualifying construction materials used in the construction of a single manufacturing and distribution facility, created by this act, is four percent for sales from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008, three percent for such sales from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009, two percent for such sales from July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, and one percent for such sales from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011."
2007 Act No. 83, Section 6.B, Act No. 110, Section 3.B and Act No. 116, Section 62.B, provide as follows:
"Notwithstanding the general effective date of this act, subsection A. of this section [adding item (73)] takes effect on the first day of the month succeeding the month in which this act is approved by the Governor [vetoes overridden June 19, June 21, and June 28, 2007, respectively]."
2007 Act No. 110, Section 42.B, and Act No. 116, Section 47.B provide as follows:
"Notwithstanding the sales and use tax rates imposed pursuant to Chapter 36, Title 12 of the 1976 Code, the rate of tax imposed pursuant to that chapter on the gross proceeds of qualifying construction materials used in the construction of a single manufacturing or distribution facility, as provided in item (67), is four percent for sales from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008, three percent for sales from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009, two percent for sales from July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, and one percent for sales from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011."
2008 Act No. 338 Section 2.A, provides:
"This section [adding item (76)] may be cited as the "Second Amendment Recognition Act".
2009 Act No. 81 Section 2 deleted the Joint Sales Tax Review Committee created by 2006 Act No. 388, Part V Section 1.
2009 Act No. 124, Section 2.B, provides as follows:
"The exemptions in [item (9)] subitems (e) and (f) are effective November 1, 2009, and only apply to a taxpayer that notifies the department prior to October 31, 2015, of its intent to utilize the exemption provided by this section."
2009 Act No. 124, Section 3.B, provides as follows:
"The exemption provided for in [item (65)] subitem (b) is effective on November 1, 2009, and only applies to a taxpayer that notifies the department prior to October 31, 2015, of its intent to utilize the exemption provided by this section."
2009 Act No. 124, Section 4.B, provides as follows:
"The additional exemption provided by this section [amending item (67)] is effective November 1, 2009, and only applies to a taxpayer that notifies the department prior to October 31, 2015, of its intent to utilize the exemption provided by this section."
2011 Act No. 32, Sections 1.A., 1.B., and 2.E., provide as follows:
"SECTION 1. A. SECTION 1B of Act 99 of 2007 is amended to read:
" 'B. (A) Notwithstanding the sales and use rates imposed pursuant to Chapter 36, Title 12 of the 1976 Code, the rate of tax imposed pursuant to that chapter on the gross proceeds of sales of items described in subsection (A) of this section is five and one-half percent for such sales from July 1, 2007.
" '(B) Notwithstanding the sales and use rates imposed pursuant to Chapter 36, Title 12 of the 1976 Code, the rate of tax imposed pursuant to that chapter on the gross proceeds of sales of items described in subsection (A) of this section is three and one-half percent for such sales from July 1, 2011.
" '(C) Notwithstanding the sales and use rates imposed pursuant to Chapter 36, Title 12 of the 1976 Code, the rate of tax imposed pursuant to that chapter on the gross proceeds of sales of items described in subsection (A) of this section is one and three-quarters percent for such sales from July 1, 2012.
" '(D) Effective January 1, 2013, the sales tax exemption on the gross proceeds of sales of items described in subsection (A) is fully implemented and no sales and use tax may be imposed on the items described in subsection (A).'
"B. Act 99 of 2007 is amended by deleting SECTION 1C which reads:
" 'C. Beginning with the February 15, 2008, forecast by the Board of Economic Advisors of annual general fund revenue growth for the upcoming fiscal year, and annually thereafter, if the forecast of that growth equals at least five percent of the most recent estimate by the board of general fund revenues for the current fiscal year, then the applicable state sales and use tax rate imposed on items described in subsection A of this section is reduced, effective the following July first, by one and one-half percent in the first year and by one percent every year thereafter. That reduced rate applies until a subsequent reduction takes effect. If the February fifteenth forecast meets the requirement for a rate reduction, the board promptly shall certify this result in writing to the Department of Revenue. On the July first that the rate attains zero, the provisions of subsections B and C of this section no longer apply.' "
"[SECTION 2.] E. Notwithstanding the general effective date provided in this act, the provisions of this section take effect on the first day of the third month beginning after the date of approval of this act."
Code Commissioner's Note
At the direction of the Code Commissioner, references in this section to the offices of the former State Budget and Control Board, Office of the Governor, or other agencies, were changed to reflect the transfer of them to the Department of Administration or other entities, pursuant to the directive of the South Carolina Restructuring Act, 2014 Act No. 121, Section 5(D)(1), effective July 1, 2015.