CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Inside the Horry County Treasurer’s Office, a busy time of year just got busier.
Just one week after the federal tax overhaul, Horry County Treasurer Angie Jones says they’ve been swamped with questions.
“Everybody’s trying to pay their 17 taxes, people are coming in to apply for their refunds and calling to find out if they’re on the list and that kind of thing, now we have this, too,” said Jones.
Under the new rules that take effect in 2018, there’s a limit on the property tax deduction, and that leaves many people hoping for a last chance to take a major tax deduction.
Jones says the calls into her office haven’t stopped.
“We’ve probably had 60 at least today because within 15 minutes, one of our ladies in delinquent taxes had five phone calls,” said Jones.
The new tax law limits state and local tax deductions to $10K, and Jones says people who own multiple properties have been the ones calling.
“A lot of residents that even live here and still have property in New York. Their taxes may be 15-17 k a year. So, definitely, it would benefit them to be able to prepay here and there,” said Jones.
Right now, state law doesn’t allow a county treasurer to take those payments.
“I hate it, but there’s nowhere for us to place it. If you send us a check for an 18 tax notice, we don’t have anything to post it to or anywhere to put it really,” said Jones.
Jones says other states have changed those rules or made exceptions to let people pay early.
“It would literally take the legislators to go in and go in i guess like the governor of some other states have done and just reverse the tax code,” said Jones
Horry County isn’t the only county dealing with this problem.
Wednesday, the Charleston County treasurer sent a letter to Governor McMaster asking for an Emergency Executive Order to suspend the provisions in state law and allow people to make those payments ahead of time.
