CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – The Horry County auditor held a press conference Friday to announce the results of efforts to crack down on out-of-state license plates found at school parking lots and drop off zones
Auditor Lois Eargle said her office collected $300,000 from residents with out of state tags from September to April.
Investigators patrol school parking lots in search of out-of-state tags, they found 1350 people driving with out of state tags.
Eargle says about 60% of your vehicle tax goes directly to Horry County Schools and she wants to make sure people, especially those with children in the school system, are held accountable.
The auditor says it’s an issue that continues to grow each year, “the schools are going to be growing by 800, and as you know they’re already at capacity so this is just a touch of the iceburg so to speak,” said Eargle.
Once a child is registered for school,you have 45 days to transfer your tag to South Carolina.
If you’re caught not in compliance, the auditor’s office can back tax you from the time you moved or double your taxes; you may even face jail time.
“You’re going to pay those taxes and if you don’t pay those taxes, you’re going to go to court and you may go to jail because we’ve had people go to jail before,” said Eargle.
Parents are required to provide their vehicle registration when signing kids up for school.
