South Carolina § 12-60-2920 - Contested case hearing following county auditor's response.

§ 12-60-2920. Contested case hearing following county auditor's response.

(A) Within thirty days after the date of the county auditor's response provided in Section 12-60-2910, a taxpayer may appeal a personal property tax assessment, or denial of a homestead exemption, by requesting a contested case hearing before the Administrative Law Court in accordance with its rules.

(B) If a taxpayer requests a contested case hearing before the Administrative Law Court without exhausting his prehearing remedy because he failed to file a protest or meet with the auditor, the administrative law judge shall dismiss the action without prejudice. If the taxpayer failed to provide the auditor with the facts, law, and other authority supporting his position, he shall provide the representative of the county at the hearing with the facts, law, and other authority he failed to present to the auditor earlier. The administrative law judge shall then remand the case to the auditor for reconsideration in light of the new facts or issues unless the representative of the county at the hearing elects to forego the remand.

Upon remand the auditor has thirty days, or a longer period ordered by the administrative law judge, to consider the new facts and issues and amend its decision. The auditor shall issue his amended decision in the same manner as the original. The taxpayer has thirty days after the date the auditor's decision was mailed or delivered to the taxpayer to again request a contested case hearing. Requests for a hearing before the Administrative Law Court must be made in accordance with its rules. If the auditor fails to issue its amended decision within thirty days of the date of the remand, or a longer period ordered by the administrative law judge, the taxpayer can again request a contested case hearing. At the new hearing the facts, law, and other authority presented at the original hearing must be deemed to have been presented in a timely manner for purposes of exhausting the taxpayer's prehearing remedy. The statute of limitations remains suspended by Section 12-54-85(G) during this process.

HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 60, SECTION 4A.