South Carolina’s Wokeism Mentioned On Fox News
August 12, 2025SC Small Businesses Deserve this Break
Family-owned businesses are especially burdened when it comes to paying and calculating various taxes.
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here is a little talked about tax placed on South Carolina businesses that is as confusing as it is unnecessary – the Business Personal Property Tax (BPP). This is a tax placed on the net depreciated value of “furniture, fixtures, and equipment that are owned and used in a business.” Which basically means everything, including, computers, appliances, desks, etc.
This BPP tax is also expansive, applying to all businesses, even the contents of short term rental homes. Furthermore, while it decreases with depreciation, businesses pay it for the life of their business because it never goes away!
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verything about this tax is complex. The exemptions are a tangled web of information explained in a 31 page (small-print) document. The calculation of the amount is anything but straightforward as it is done at the county level based on millage rates. Even where and how to submit the tax form is unclear, with contradictory information online, as some counties have transitioned to the Dept. of Revenue while others have not.
For some businesses, the tax is negligible and hardly worth the time required to file it. For others, who have a lot of equipment, such as a family-owned earth grading businesses, the tax can be a heavy burden. New businesses that have not yet benefited from depreciating assets are also hard hit.
Family-owned businesses are especially burdened when it comes to paying and calculating various taxes. In addition to filing federal, state, city or county taxes (and in some cases hospitality tax), South Carolina businesses are required to use the PT-100 form to pay this personal property tax, which requires listing all tangible assets, the year of acquisition and the original cost.
Why SC Should Eliminate the BPP Tax
The complexity and subjectivity associated with calculating this tax make it uniquely difficult to assure fair and just taxation. Additionally, as with all taxes, the BPP tax can be manipulated by those industries (usually large businesses) who have access to governmental decision-makers to advocate for lower rates and special exemptions.
The Mom and Pop Alliance of SC would like to see the S.C. General Assembly pass a bill to lower the BPP tax to zero. We believe this would provide SC a unique competitive advantage, both regionally and nationally. While many states have a lower BPP tax than SC, only 14 states have no BPP tax at all, none of which are in the southeast. Elimination of this tax could prove an attractive selling point for businesses to locate to the Palmetto State.
Finally, businesses are currently drowning in taxes and regulations, which often hit small business disproportionately as they lack the resources to outsource compliance. The Mom and Pop Alliance of SC will be advocating to reduce the rate of the Business Personal Property Tax to zero. We believe all, but especially small businesses in South Carolina deserve this break.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Diane Hardy is a former nurse anesthetist turned entrepreneur, who (along with her business partner) recently opened her second franchise bakery in Greenville. She is the Executive Director of the Mom and Pop Alliance of SC, which she founded during Covid upon discovering South Carolina’s over 400,000 small businesses had little representation in our State House. The Alliance provides education, communication, and advocacy for SC’s family-owned businesses.
Her passion for South Carolina’s small business is strong, and as such she donates her time to the organization, accepting no salary or government funding. Her love for our state isn’t new. Before launching the Mom and Pop Alliance she was the founder and host of The Palmetto Panel (2014-2019), an annual statewide conference highlighting issues impacting South Carolina. Diane has a bachelor’s degree in nursing and psychology from Michigan State as well as a master’s degree from MUSC.