“Yankee Tax” Proposed By South Carolina Lawmaker

A South Carolina state Senator wants to hit new residents with a $500 “Yankee Tax” for moving to the Palmetto state.

The bill, proposed by Sen. Stephen Goldfinch (R), would require those moving to South Carolina from out-of-state to pay two one-time fees; $250 for vehicle registrations and $250 for a new driver’s license. Half of the new fee would go toward the state’s infrastructure – including roads, bridges and common community areas, according to Fox Business.

“I’m not trying to build a wall and this is not a fee against new residents, it’s a fee for people to catch up with the rest of us,” Goldfinch told Fox News Digital. “I think there’s a rational basis for requiring newcomers to catch up with the rest of us and contribute to the roads, bridges, schools and green spaces that we’ve [residents] always contributed to.”

His proposal comes after droves of people from the Northeast have moved to South Carolina in recent years. According to the U.S. Census, nearly half a million people moved to the Palmetto State in the past decade.

People flocked to the Southeast during the pandemic and stayed due to a host of reasons, including work flexibility, lower taxes and warmer weather.

Goldfinch points to South Carolina residents as inspiration for the bill. -Fox Business

“Our quality of life has been diminished by the almost 4 million people that have moved here in the last decade,” said Goldfinch. “And we anticipate another million people moving here in the next decade. Everybody is concerned about their quality of life.”

The new fees will be available for debate next week on the South Carolina Senate floor.

As Fox Business points out, South Carolina isn’t the only state trying to slap people with moving taxes – as California and New York have both proposed legislation to tax people leaving their state.

“If you can charge people to leave, I don’t see any reason why you can’t charge somebody to come in the door,” said Goldfinch.