SCALT Members Participate in Governor Announcements

SCALT members from around the state participated in the Governor Press Conferences announcing the SC Minority and Small Business Relief Grant Program. Willie Youmas with Youmas Heating and Air in Charleston and Theresa Wardlaw with Cool Care Heating and Air in Columbia participated in the Governors announcement of the new Cares Act Funding.

SC Minority and Small Business Relief Grant Program

Individual grants from $2,500 – $25,000 are available to reimburse qualifying expenditures for providing services or revenue loss due to COVID-19. Applications must be received no later than November 1 at 11:59 p.m. Apply now!

Legislative Updates

Business License Tax Reform Passes

The General Assembly session ended with a huge flourish. Business License Tax Reform passed the General Assembly after more than ten years. 
What does this legislation do for you?
  • Streamlines and standardizes the business license tax process without negatively impacting municipal revenue (which has been a major sticking point for years).
  • It provides an online payment portal.
  • It provides common applications.
  • It provides appeals processes.
  • Establishes a common time frame for all applications (May 1 – April 30).
  • Third-party collections were allowed but with some protections, including:
  1. The third-party entity is prohibited from assessing business license taxes or requiring a business entity to remit confidential business license tax data to that private third party
  2. The right to sue the third-party collection group as a private right of action.
  3. The third party is prohibited from sharing any data from the business.
  4. Anti-harassment language.
  5. If a business requests in writing that the third party cease communication with the business, then the third party is strictly prohibited from any further contact.
Full language of the bill can be found at https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/prever/4431_20200923.htm
Other passed items that may be of interest to you:
Cares Act Phase II was adopted:
  • $420 million for the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund.
    • This is in addition to the $500 million allocated for the trust fund in the Phase I.
  • Set the total effective UI tax rates for 2021 rate classes at the same total effective rates as 2020 rate classes.
    • This means that regardless of the trust fund balance, for 2021, businesses will not have to pay tax rates above what they are paying this year.
  • DHEC Testing and Monitoring: $73M
  • MUSC Testing: $20.2M
  • Nonprofit Relief Program: $25M
  • Minority and Small Business Relief Program: $40M
    • Priority must be given to minority businesses; to applicants that did not receive other assistance, such as a Paycheck Protection Program loan or other CARES funds; to businesses with fifteen or fewer employees; and to businesses that demonstrate the greatest financial need.
  • State, Local Government, Independent College and University Expenditures: $115M
  • Forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans are excluded from gross income for state tax purposes.
Full language of the bill can be found here.  https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess123_2019-2020/prever/3210_20200923.htm

Informed Decisions

One of the ways we support licensed contractors, technicians and consumers is through Legislative monitoring and initiatives. Our lobbyist keeps us up-to-date on legislation that can affect your business and works to educate lawmakers on how we can improve regulation in ways that benefit everyone.

Find Your Legislator

SCALT Sits Down With Legislators

SCALT Legislative Chairman Todd Ramella organized a meeting with multiple Upstate legislators on September 21 to discuss the best ways SCALT can support our licensed trades businesses in South Carolina. Thank you to Todd Ramella for leading the charge, and thank you to Senator Scott Talley for helping pull together a group of legislators to meet. Those in attendance included Senators Scott Talley and Ross Turner, Representatives Bobby Cox, Max Hyde, and House Incumbant Travis Moore.
We discussed the need for employer protection due to COVID-19, and the need for the passage of the Business License Tax Reform, but the majority of our time was focused on how the association can help protect licensed trades contractors from those doing business that are unlicensed. We shared ideas back and forth and it was suggested that the association pull together stories of consumers that have suffered at the hands of an unlicensed contractor.
SCALT has set up a page on its website where SCALT members and consumers can share their stories. Once we collect these stories we will take them to our legislators to talk about what we can do together to protect South Carolina consumers. Click here to learn more and to share your stories.
If you are interested in being involved with SCALT legislative activity, please email katie@beaconamc.net.
Click here to see the talking points provided to the legislators.
L to R: SCALT Executive Director Katie Koon, House incumbent Travis Moore, Senator Ross Turner, Senator Scott Talley, HVAC Contractor Todd Ramella, Trane Representative Sandra Moore