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IMMEDIATE RELEASE SC Senate can fix one property tax issue this legislative session(Columbia) -- Section 56-3-630 of the South Carolina Code of Laws defines a private passenger motor vehicle as every motor vehicle, except a motorcycle, that is used and maintained for the transportation of ten or fewer persons and trucks having an empty weight of seven thousands pounds or less and a gross weight of nine thousand pounds or less. Because of the motorcycle exception in the SC Code of Laws, motorcycle owners pay more property tax on their two-wheeled, private passenger vehicles, than car and truck owners. “Every tiger is a cat, but not every cat is a tiger,” says Ed Haas, ABATE of South Carolina Media Coordinator. “It is hard to understand how a motorcycle can be discriminated against when defining a private passenger vehicle in the SC Code of Laws. They are privately owned. They can transport ten or fewer passengers. While it is true that not all private passenger vehicles are motorcycles, it is equally true that all motorcycles are in fact, private passenger vehicles.” “Motorcycles are good for South Carolina and the United States. They get great gas mileage - usually between 35 to 55 miles per gallon. Some even get 80mpg! They reduce dependency on foreign oil because they use less gasoline than most of their four-wheeled counterparts. They are also good for road surfaces because they create less wear and tear,” explains Haas. “Yet for some reason, patriotic Americans who decide to take advantage of the year round riding season South Carolina’s climate offers, and use a motorcycle as their primary mode of transportation, have to pay 10.5% property tax assessment on their motorcycles while other private passenger vehicles are accessed at 6%.” SC Senators Knotts, Mescher, and Cromer see this discrepancy in private passenger vehicle definitions and want to do something about it. They introduced S. 261, which is intended to define a motorcycle correctly, as a private passenger vehicle. S.261 is currently stalled in the Senate Committee on Finance. The Chairman of this committee is Senator Hugh K. Leatherman Sr., District 31, representing Darlington and Florence Counties. ABATE of South Carolina encourages Senator Leatherman to expedite S.261 onto the agenda of his committee so that its merits can be debated by the Senate Committee on Finance promptly, and hopefully voted on by the full SC Senate this legislative session. This is one property tax issue that the SC Senate can fully resolve this legislative session. On behalf of approximately 80,000 motorcyclists that have registered their two-wheeled, private passenger vehicles with South Carolina, taking care of this property tax issue, this legislative session is just the right thing for the SC lawmakers to do. ### ABATE of South Carolina is a State Motorcyclists Rights Organization dedicated to defending the rights of all motorcyclists who choose to ride in South Carolina. ABATE of South Carolina also encourages all motorcyclists to register to vote and become active in the political process. ABATE encourages motorcyclists to voluntarily obtain motorcycle rider training. Many members of ABATE are involved in a variety of charitable organizations and take great pride in being active members of their communities. To learn more about ABATE of SC visit http://www.abatesc.com |
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