‘Yankee tax’: South Carolina is proposing a $500 fee for new residents after a massive spike in migration that saw more than four million people move to Palmetto state in a decade in search of lower taxes and warmer weather
- South Carolina received a huge influx of residents during the pandemic, many of whom decided to make their move permanent
- State legislator Stephen Goldfinch said he is concerned about the impact mass immigration to the state will have on residents’ quality of life
- As a partial solution, Goldfinch has proposed a $250 two-fold fee for all new residents of Palmetto state to help fund roads, bridges and schools.
South Carolina state senator Stephen Goldfinch has introduced a bill called the “Yankee Tax” that would require new Palmetto residents to pay more than $500 upon arrival.
If approved by state agencies, new residents moving to South Carolina would be required to pay two one-time fees. One $250 for a new driver’s license and the other $250 for a vehicle registration.
Putter told Fox news that, in his view, there is a “rational basis for requiring newcomers to catch up with the rest of us and contribute to the roads, bridges, schools and green spaces that we (residents) have always contributed to.”
His proposal came after hordes of people moved to South Carolina in recent years — a trend especially exacerbated during COVID.
South Carolina state senator Stephen Goldfinch proposed an entrance fee to new Palmetto state residents
Charleston, South Carolina has seen a huge influx of both tourists and new residents since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
Many people moved to Palmetto State for a few months during the pandemic and decided to make the living situation permanent for a number of reasons, including the continued ability to work from home and the southern state’s lower taxes and favorable climate. .
The legislator says its push to set the fee is in the best interest of the people of South Carolina, many of whom are concerned about the large number of people who have moved to their state in the past decade.
“Our quality of life has been diminished by the nearly 4 million people who have moved here in the past decade,” he said.
“And we expect another million people to move here in the next decade. Everyone is concerned about their quality of life.’
However, he doubts that a $500 fee will ultimately be enough to keep anyone from moving.
“I find it hard to believe that $250 will stop anyone from coming,” he said.
Goldfinch proposes the $250 twofold fee to fund roads, bridges, schools and green spaces in the state that others have funded throughout their lives
Similar proposals are being considered by state agencies in New York and California, only residents would be taxed if they leave high-tax states
Many chose to eventually settle in South Carolina because of its favorable weather and tax rates
The New Resident fee will be available for debate on the floor of the South Carolina Senate next week, he said.
If passed, the provinces will vote on it in the upcoming 2024 general election.
South Carolina is not the only state considering an immigration levy.
Both New York and California, states with extremely high exit rates in recent years, are considering legislation to tax people for leaving the state.
“If you can ask people to leave, I don’t see any reason why you can’t ask someone to come in,” Putter said.