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Berkeley County businesses must register or face fine
By Jessica Johnson
Contributing Writer
Businesses within Berkeley County will soon need to register with the county to continue their operations.
Business owners failing to register could face 30 days in jail or a $500 fine for each day they lack a registration.
The law, approved by the Berkeley County Council, puts the requirement into effect July 1. However, county officials are still discussing how they would implement the program. Penalties likely wouldn’t be imposed until July 2007, said Nicole Ewing, an attorney with Berkeley County’s legal department.
Businesses that are required to file a business personal property form (a pt100 or pt300) with the South Carolina Department of Revenue or a personal property return with the Berkeley County Auditor would need to register. The registration includes a $15 fee waived for businesses that have paid taxes in a timely fashion.
“This is just a way for us to recognize and account for all businesses in the county,” said Ronnie Williams, interim deputy county supervisor.
The council decided against a business licensing system similar to those found in other counties that impose a schedule of fees according to business type or anticipated sales.
The system would enable the county to more easily find delinquent business taxpayers, Williams said.
The registration system is not designed to generate revenues, he said.
“This is just to make sure that all the businesses in the county have filed,” Williams said.
Businesses owe the county more than $6 million in delinquent taxes, said James Rozier, Berkeley County Supervisor.
Rozier said the registration enables the county to enforce its tax collection laws.
“If you don’t pay your taxes, we can take the business (registration) away, and you are out of business,” he said.
When discussing the addition of a business registration system last year, county officials said 1,700 businesses failed to pay their taxes by the April 2005 deadline.
Businesses would also receive a registration receipt to display in their business to help the county enforce the new system.
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