A state senator in South Carolina has proposed a $500 tax on new residents. If passed by state referendum, new residents moving from out-of-state to South Carolina would be required to pay two one-time fees: $250 for new driver’s licenses and $250 for vehicle registrations. The tax would only apply to new residents from out of state, and would only be assessed one time.
The money raised from the additional $250 tax would go toward the state's infrastructure, including roads, bridges and common community spaces.
What would you think about something like this in Florida? I recently had a conversation with a friend about the unprecedented number of people moving to Florida, and the impact that those additional people have on our state and our infrastructure. Not just roads and bridges, but schools, hospitals, emergency services, wastewater treatment...all of those things are strongly impacted by the sharp increase in population (a million people have moved to Florida since 2020!). I'm never one to agree with a tax increase, but the money for these things has to come from somewhere. The residents have been paying annually for years (property tax, vehicle registration, sales tax, etc), so maybe a one-time fee for new residents would help? I don't know, but if I read one more story about how the state "accidentally" released millions of gallons of human waste into the Bay, I'm going to lose my mind. Curious as to your thoughts.
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