SC Rip's Off Citizens (Greenville: for sale, renter, to buy)

[Mountainlake]

SC native here who lives in TN now. I save thousands $$$ yearly on taxes and cost of living. Been there done that and loving it here in the mountains.

[Escape_From_NY]

Originally Posted by NoodlesKnowles

wow, I registered a 94 buick century, only had to pay 35 bucks in taxes, glad I don't have a newer car....

Noodles, I`m curious as to what they base the vehicle tax on, in SC - is it based on model year, book value, what you paid for it, or some sort of a combination of factors? I have a `97 Hyundai I paid $900 bucks for about 2 years ago, here in NY. If I were to bring the car to SC and register it, do you have any idea what sort of fees and taxes I might expect to pay? Also, do you know if "importing" a car from another State carries a penalty(such as I`m told Florida charges for bringing in an out-of-state vehicle to register)?

Since SC is becoming the new "Michigan of The South"(As far as auto manufacturing goes), I would think SC would stop penalizing folks for buying new cars(via high taxation), and I would further think that SC`s burgeoning auto-industry would be lobbying the SC State legislature hard
to change the vehicle tax system so that it removes the incentives for people to just keep driving old junkers into the ground, and reflects the reality that SC is an auto-manufacturing State, who`s industry employs
thousands of South Carolinians, and that making it easier and more affordable for local folks to buy and drive some of they products that they themselves had a hand in creating, would be good for everyone concerned? I mean, it seems to me, that SC taxing the heck out of new
cars, would be like Wisconsin locally taxing the heck out of cheese, and discouraging Wisconsin residents from buying it.

[BrickG]

Originally Posted by M1monster

wow you folks get uptight way to quick. First of all i didnt buy my car here, so why do i need to pay a tax when i already paid a state tax. Second im not concerned about "getting Caught" i have a home in my "home state" i rent a home here. when i moved here i called to see how much the tax would be and i was told roughly a grand a year. Now i guess all of you must be wealthy and can just fork out that kind of money with no issues, However im not that wealthy. When i buy a new car here i will pay the tax here, Lighten up people damn

I really don't care whether you register your car here or not. You generally reap what you sow in life and if this is all that you have to gripe about, you're lucky. Most of the people who have moved from the north have been wonderful to meet and have more positive input. I'm glad to have them. What you personally do won't effect my lifestyle, that's for sure.

[BrickG]

I have a 2000 Ford 150 Van. Great for the grandkids and pullig my boat. I paid 117.09. Not bad. I'm still ahead about 8K moving from Austin when everything is taken into consideration.

[southernmeltdown]

Originally Posted by M1monster

I have to say im not happy about the personal property tax on vehicles. And being that i rent a home i dont get the property tax bennies. i just move here 3 months ago from up north where there is no property tax on vehicles. irefuse to register my vehicle in Sc. Untill the day i sell it, Its going to have my home state tags on it

SC Department of Motor Vehicles report violations here...


Moving?
Welcome to South Carolina If you come into South Carolina from another state and establish a permanent residence, you must apply for a South Carolina driver license. If you own any vehicles they must also be registered in our state.
If you have a valid driver’s license issued by the state from which you moved, you can use it for 90 days, after which time you must surrender it and obtain a South Carolina driver license. You have 45 days to transfer your out of state vehicle registration to South Carolina.
Click here for Form 447 Application for S.C. Credential. See Accepted Forms of Identification for documents needed to obtain the license.

you are breaking the law all it will take is a traffic stop to end your scam....then see how much this will cost you...

[myrc60]

I have a 98 Toyota Corolla; my taxes this year in Greenville County are $57.24 not including $24 for plate/registration renewal. Tax is based on vehicle value; not what you paid when you bought it.

[Escape_From_NY]

Originally Posted by myrc60

I have a 98 Toyota Corolla; my taxes this year in Greenville County are $57.24 not including $24 for plate/registration renewal. Tax is based on vehicle value; not what you paid when you bought it.

Ok, thanks, that`s a help. I`m *guessing* my `97 Hyundai Accent will be around $40-45 or so plus tags, based on what you pay for your Toyota, so that at least gives me a rough idea of what to expect.

While I`m on the subject, does anyone here know if personal property other than vehicles are taxed in SC also? In WV, they tax TVs, furniture, and apparently even want to know how many pairs of socks you have in your sock-drawer(I own a vacant lot there and was looking at the personal property self-reporting survey form on the County website)

[thurx]

Another thing to consider when you are figuring your "personal property" taxes paid on motor vehicles: Gasoline is taxed minimally in SC. Only Alaska, Wyoming and NJ have lower gas taxes, and then by only a fraction of a cent. Some of the states being mentioned as "better" than SC as to taxes are taxing your gasoline (and diesel) at over 15 cents more per gallon than you pay here in SC. For instance, Florida, California, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Michigan are doing this. Figure your taxes on gas, based on how much you drive, and what MPG you get. It really adds up quickly. Then when you figure your "personal property" tax burden, subtract the amount you save on gas tax and I think you will be a bit happier. I moved here from California where the gas tax is almost 64 cents a gallon. SC has 35 cents added on. So I multiplied the difference of 29 cents per gallon times the number of gallons of gas I would buy, driving 15000 miles a year. Since I figured that would be about 600 gallons of gas, I am saving $174 per year on gas taxes by living in SC. But I drive vehicles that get at least 24 mpg. If you are getting only 12 mpg and drive 15000 miles per year, then you are saving $350 on gas taxes by living in SC compared to some of the higher priced states. Take this off the tax you pay for your vehicles each year and you are not really paying much more to drive in SC than in many other states. Here's the link to a page that shows the gas tax information for each state:

Gasoline tax information - South Carolina Gas Prices

[Escape_From_NY]

Originally Posted by thurx

Another thing to consider when you are figuring your "personal property" taxes paid on motor vehicles: Gasoline is taxed minimally in SC. Only Alaska, Wyoming and NJ have lower gas taxes, and then by only a fraction of a cent. Some of the states being mentioned as "better" than SC as to taxes are taxing your gasoline (and diesel) at over 15 cents more per gallon than you pay here in SC. For instance, Florida, California, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Michigan are doing this. Figure your taxes on gas, based on how much you drive, and what MPG you get. It really adds up quickly. Then when you figure your "personal property" tax burden, subtract the amount you save on gas tax and I think you will be a bit happier. I moved here from California where the gas tax is almost 64 cents a gallon. SC has 35 cents added on. So I multiplied the difference of 29 cents per gallon times the number of gallons of gas I would buy, driving 15000 miles a year. Since I figured that would be about 600 gallons of gas, I am saving $174 per year on gas taxes by living in SC. But I drive vehicles that get at least 24 mpg. If you are getting only 12 mpg and drive 15000 miles per year, then you are saving $350 on gas taxes by living in SC compared to some of the higher priced states. Take this off the tax you pay for your vehicles each year and you are not really paying much more to drive in SC than in many other states. Here's the link to a page that shows the gas tax information for each state:

Gasoline tax information - South Carolina Gas Prices

Yes, the *overall* cost of living in SC is definately lower than in NY. As you said, you really have to consider ALL the factors(and not just taxes).
Granted, wages are probably somewhat lower in SC(compared to NY), but that too, is more than offset by the lower cost of living in SC.

BTW, another BIG tax-savings SC has over NY is cigarette taxes. NY has about the highest cigarette taxes in the US, while SC has the lowest(or nearly the lowest). If you smoke 2 packs a day, the savings add up to even more than the savings on gasoline taxes(in MY case, anyway), since my car gets 33 mpg and isn`t driven very much.

I forget where I saw it on the web, but there was a web site where you could input your present location, and your proposed location, and instantly see an estimate of the difference in overall cost of living between the two places, and Roebuck, SC(where I recently bought a place) was about 40% cheaper than where I am here in NY. SC also has a much milder climate than many other areas of the country, which will save big bucks on heating costs in the winter, while many folks up north will be trying to figure out how they`re going to pay $1500 a pop to fill up their standard 300 gallon fuel oil tank every few weeks.

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by thurx

Another thing to consider when you are figuring your "personal property" taxes paid on motor vehicles: Gasoline is taxed minimally in SC. Only Alaska, Wyoming and NJ have lower gas taxes, and then by only a fraction of a cent. Some of the states being mentioned as "better" than SC as to taxes are taxing your gasoline (and diesel) at over 15 cents more per gallon than you pay here in SC. For instance, Florida, California, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Michigan are doing this. Figure your taxes on gas, based on how much you drive, and what MPG you get. It really adds up quickly. Then when you figure your "personal property" tax burden, subtract the amount you save on gas tax and I think you will be a bit happier. I moved here from California where the gas tax is almost 64 cents a gallon. SC has 35 cents added on. So I multiplied the difference of 29 cents per gallon times the number of gallons of gas I would buy, driving 15000 miles a year. Since I figured that would be about 600 gallons of gas, I am saving $174 per year on gas taxes by living in SC. But I drive vehicles that get at least 24 mpg. If you are getting only 12 mpg and drive 15000 miles per year, then you are saving $350 on gas taxes by living in SC compared to some of the higher priced states. Take this off the tax you pay for your vehicles each year and you are not really paying much more to drive in SC than in many other states. Here's the link to a page that shows the gas tax information for each state:

Gasoline tax information - South Carolina Gas Prices

Thanks for the link to one of my fav sites...I'm sickofit! Love your explanation of the gas tax.

Originally Posted by Escape_From_NY

Ok, thanks, that`s a help. I`m *guessing* my `97 Hyundai Accent will be around $40-45 or so plus tags, based on what you pay for your Toyota, so that at least gives me a rough idea of what to expect.

While I`m on the subject, does anyone here know if personal property other than vehicles are taxed in SC also? In WV, they tax TVs, furniture, and apparently even want to know how many pairs of socks you have in your sock-drawer(I own a vacant lot there and was looking at the personal property self-reporting survey form on the County website)

I would venture you're figuring about right. There is a small percentage of my amount this year that goes to my city. If you are in a different city, that amount probably varies. If you stay out of the cities and get county property you should pay slightly less as well but that may also depend on other factors such as fire and police coverage.