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North Myrtle Beach also plans to collect new fees
County officials say they will continue to collect hospitality and accommodation taxes from tourists and locals in North Myrtle Beach beginning July 1.
The problem is, North Myrtle Beach says they are the only government entity empowered to collect the taxes, and they plan to do so, too.
Does that mean folks will be double taxes by both entities?
It appears so, unless one of those government agencies retreats from its position, or an emergency court order is issued.
Read more about it here.
Here's the statement issued Tuesday night from North Myrtle, after the county announced it will continue tax collections:
North Myrtle Beach, SC – June 25, 2019 – Today, Horry County announced it intends to collect hospitality and accommodations taxes within the city of North Myrtle Beach.
Only the City of North Myrtle Beach has the legal right to establish and collect these taxes within its jurisdiction. Horry County has absolutely no authority to do so and is in clear violation of law.
In overwhelming fashion, the recent Court order associated with CIVIL ACTION NO. 2019-CP-26-01732 opposed Horry County's actions in this regard. The same Court order identified the plaintiff as "City of Myrtle Beach, For Itself and a Class of Similarly Situated Plaintiffs", which clearly includes municipalities in Horry County.
As emphasized in that Court order, South Carolina law preserves the autonomy of municipalities within their borders, absent their agreement or consent or an express statutory provision to the contrary. The County and the City each possess the authority to enact uniform service charges but no law grants the City or the County the power to unilaterally impose uniform service charges within the jurisdictional limits of the other.
The City of North Myrtle Beach is seeking immediate legal recourse.
The City will collect the full hospitality tax and accommodations tax within its jurisdiction. Under law, Horry County can only establish and collect service taxes in areas of the County outside of municipal jurisdictions.
Audrey Hudson
The Myrtle Beach Post was launched in 2018 by veteran national reporter Audrey Hudson.
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Hudson is an award-winning journalist with decades of national and regional news reporting experience.
Most notably, she was a national desk reporter for The Washington Times covering Congress, as well as the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations.
She is a recipient of the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists for public service, and numerous other awards for government and investigative journalism.
After too many years of inside-the-Beltway living, she and her husband packed up the Schnauzers and moved to the banks of the Waccamaw River in 2014 to enjoy life.
Hudson is a native of Kentucky. Her family spent their summers in Myrtle Beach in the late '70s and '80s.
On sunny days, you can often find her on the beach in front of that old house with her toes in the sand.
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