As used in this article:

(1) "Additional infrastructure improvement" means a road or pedestrian access way, a right-of-way, a bridge, a water or sewer facility, an electric or gas facility, a landfill or waste treatment facility, a hospital or medical facility, a fire station, a school, a transportation facility, a telephone or communications system, or any similar infrastructure facility and facilities ancillary thereto. This improvement must be owned by the State or a political subdivision. For purposes of this section, it includes a publicly-owned tourism or recreation facility.

(2) "Benefit period" means a fifteen-year period commencing on the first day of the first month after the date on which the department approves the certification application.

(3) "Certification application" means an application submitted by a county or municipality to the department requesting that the department approve a major tourism or recreation facility or a major tourism or recreation area for the benefits available under Sections 12-21-6530 and 12-21-6540.

(4) "Council" means the Advisory Coordinating Council for Economic Development.

(5) "Department" means the South Carolina Department of Revenue.

(6) "Designated development area" means a contiguous area set aside by municipal or county ordinance in which one or more tourism or recreation facilities will be located. The term includes a downtown or waterfront redevelopment area, a local historic district, redevelopment of a closed military facility, or a newly designated economic development site.

(7) "Establishment" means either a major tourism or recreation facility or a tourism or recreation facility located within a major tourism or recreation area.

(8) "Fund" means the special tourism infrastructure development fund.

(9) "Grant application" means the application submitted to the council whereby a local government may apply to receive a grant from the fund.

(10) "Investment period" means any consecutive sixty-month period, however, the same investment may not be counted more than once in determining whether the appropriate amount of investment has been made within any consecutive sixty-month period.

(11) "Major tourism or recreation area" means a designated development area with one or more tourism or recreation facilities located therein in which an aggregate investment in land and capital assets of at least twenty million dollars is made in the designated development area for tourism or recreation facilities, or as otherwise provided in Section 12-21-6560, within the investment period. The full twenty million dollars must be invested before the certification application can be filed.

(12) "Major tourism or recreation facility" means a tourism or recreation facility in which an aggregate investment in land and capital assets of at least twenty million dollars is made at the facility, or as otherwise provided in Section 12-21-6560, within the investment period. The full twenty million dollars must be invested before the certification application can be filed.

(13) "Tourism or recreation facility" means a theme park, amusement park, historical, educational or trade museum, botanical or zoological garden, aquarium, cultural center, theater, motion picture production studio, convention center, arena, coliseum, auditorium, golf course, spectator or participatory sports facility or any other facility which is subject to collecting and remitting the tax on admissions.

(14) "Tourism or recreational facility" also means an aquarium or natural history exhibit or museum located within or directly contiguous to an extraordinary retail establishment as defined below. An extraordinary retail establishment is a single store located in South Carolina within two miles of an interstate highway or in a county with at least three and one-half million visitors a year, and it must be a destination retail establishment which attracts at least two million visitors a year with at least thirty-five percent of those visitors traveling at least fifty miles to the establishment. The extraordinary retail establishment must have a capital investment of at least twenty-five million dollars including land, buildings and site preparation costs, and one or more hotels must be built to service the establishment within three years of occupancy. Only establishments which receive a certificate of occupancy after July 1, 2006, qualify. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism shall determine and annually certify whether a retail establishment meets these criteria and its judgment is conclusive. The extraordinary retail establishment annually must collect and remit at least two million dollars in sales taxes but is not required to collect or remit admission taxes.

HISTORY: 1997 Act No. 109, Section 1; 2006 Act No. 384, Section 22.C, eff June 14, 2006; 2006 Act No. 386, Section 48.C, eff June 14, 2006; 2007 Act No. 116, Section 3.A, eff June 28, 2007, applicable for tax years beginning after 2007.

Editor's Note

1997 Act No. 109, Section 4, provides as follows:

"SECTION 4. This act is effective with respect to projects with investment periods, as defined in Section 12-21-6520(10) of the 1976 Code as added by this act, ending after December 31, 1996."