Bill > S0655

This bill amends several sections of the South Carolina code to provide special tax and regulatory treatment for "professional sports teams." Specifically, the bill: 1) Adds professional sports teams to the list of businesses eligible for the state's job tax credit, and defines a "new job" for a professional sports team as any job located at the team's park, regardless of whether the employee previously worked for the team in the state. 2) Prohibits counties from levying license fees or taxes on professional sports teams. 3) Prohibits municipalities from levying business license taxes on professional sports teams. 4) Prohibits municipalities from annexing any real property owned by a professional sports team without the team's prior written consent. The bill defines a "professional sports team" as a team or club that is part of a major professional league, has an annual payroll of at least $190 million, and employs at least 150 people. This provides targeted tax and regulatory benefits to attract and retain high-profile professional sports franchises in the state.