South Carolina state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch has proposed a new bill, dubbed the “Yankee Tax,” which would make new residents pay up to $500 in order to move to South Carolina. If this bill passes by the state referendum, then all new residents will need to pay two different one-time fees when moving to South Carolina.
The new residents would need to pay $250 for new driver’s licenses and $250 for vehicle registrations.
Goldfinch has claimed that this proposal was not a move to discourage people from migrating to the state. Instead, he argued that it was a way for the new resident to “catch up with the rest of us.” Goldfinch has also argued that the money raised by the additional $250 would be used to improve the state’s infrastructure, including roads, bridges, schools, and other communal areas.
His proposal comes after many people from the northeast have been relocating to South Carolina in the past few years. According to the U.S. Census, close to half a million people have migrated to the state within the last decade. During the pandemic, a lot of people also moved to the Southeast because of the lower taxes and the better weather. The work flexibility also allowed them to relocate without losing their jobs.
Goldfinch stated that this move was trying to improve the quality of life of South Carolina residents, as it had previously diminished due to the relocation of millions of people into the country.
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