Some of South Carolina's top tax debtors are paying the state after their debts were published online.

State tax debtors paid almost $9 million to the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) in 2020 after their names were listed online last year by the agency.

February marks the one-year anniversary of the SCDOR's Top Delinquent Taxpayers webpages, a listing of the top 250 individual and top 250 business tax debtors. They can be found at dor.sc.gov/top250.

The lists, updated quarterly, are a refresh of the SCDOR's Debtors' Corner which publicly listed the state's top tax debtors for years. Each of the current delinquent taxpayers is in tax lien status, making these debts public. The SCDOR is publishing the names to provide transparency, fairness, and accountability.

"While the majority of South Carolinians voluntarily pay their taxes, there are those who do not," SCDOR Director Hartley Powell said. "Holding noncompliant taxpayers accountable is a necessary responsibility of the Department of Revenue to ensure the state's fiscal health."

Payments

In 2020, those on the lists paid $8.8 million to the SCDOR, including $8 million in lien payments and almost $800,000 in pay plan payments. Business debtors paid $6.8 million, while individual debtors paid almost $2 million.

Collectively, the listed business and individual delinquent taxpayers owe $127 million in taxes. Individual tax debt on the list ranges from a low of $87,220 to a high of $2.6 million. Business tax debt on the list ranges from a low of $121,842 to a high of nearly $2.6 million.

Before these names are published, the SCDOR exhausts efforts to collect these debts. The agency sends letters, calls, and/or makes personal contact to help these taxpayers comply.

Debts excluded from the lists include: 

• Those who have filed for bankruptcy protection.
• Debtors who have made payment arrangements with the SCDOR.
• Any debt in the SCDOR's GEAR or Setoff Debt programs.

The current amount of tax, penalty, and interest due may differ from the listed amount as a result of partial payments and/or accrual of additional penalty and interest. Learn more about South Carolina's Top Delinquent Taxpayers at dor.sc.gov/top250.

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