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Posted on Wed, Apr. 28, 2004 | | |
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House gives key approval to bill capping boat taxes Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. - The House gave key approval Wednesday to a bill that would cap all property taxes on boats at $1,500. The bill, which passed 55-39, means that anyone who owns a boat worth $18,750 or more will pay no more than $1,500 in taxes. It is similar to a tax break on motorhomes. The bill originally applied to boats with a kitchen and restroom, but an amendment passed Wednesday extended it to all boats, said Rep. Chip Limehouse, R-Charleston. Many boat owners who could afford to do so registered their boats in places like Florida to avoid paying "onerous" property taxes, said Limehouse, a sponsor of the bill. A number of House Democrats spoke against the bill, saying the House shouldn't be giving tax breaks to boat owners when plenty of counties still have tight budgets. The bill must pass a routine third reading before it gets sent to the Senate. | |||