Terms Used In South Carolina Code > Title 17 > Chapter 1 - General Provisions

• Administrative Law Court: means the Administrative Law Court created by § 1-23-500. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Affected county: means , for property tax purposes, a county that administers property tax collections for its own jurisdiction or for another local governing body and is in a property tax dispute with a taxpayer. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assessment: means the department's recording the liability of the taxpayer in the office of the department, subject to the restrictions in § 12-60-440. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• assessor: means a county officer or official who issues an official property tax assessment for real property. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• auditor: means a county officer or official who issues an official property tax assessment for personal property. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Chief administrative official: means , for property tax purposes, the official identified in § 8-13-1110(B)(6). See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Chief executive officer: means , for property tax purposes, the official identified in § 8-13-1110(B)(5). See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Classification: means the various categories of property subject to property tax to which specific property tax assessment ratios apply. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• county board: means the board of assessment appeals which considers appeals of property tax assessments issued by the property tax assessor for the county and which also hears appeals of refund claims of property as determined by the majority of the county assessor, county auditor, and county treasurer. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Department: means the South Carolina Department of Revenue. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Department determination: means the final determination within the department from which a taxpayer or a local governing body, as applicable, may request a contested case hearing before the Administrative Law Court. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Director: means the director of the department. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. ^{Source: OCC}
• individual: means a human being. See South Carolina Code 12-2-20
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Local governing body: means , for property tax purposes, the governing body of a county, municipality, or other political subdivision that is entitled to receive any portion of the tax revenue generated from a property tax assessment. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Property tax: means ad valorem taxes on real and personal property. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Property tax assessment: means a valuation or determination of property value for annual property tax purposes arrived at by multiplying the fair market value or special use value of the property by the appropriate assessment ratio for the taxable property's classification. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Property taxpayer: means a person who is liable for, or whose property or interest in property, is subject to, or liable for, a property tax imposed by this title. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Protest: means a written appeal of a proposed assessment or a division decision made in accordance with this chapter. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• Special use value: means property valued pursuant to § 12-43-220(d). See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• taxes: means taxes, licenses, permits, fees, or other amounts, including interest, regulatory and other penalties, and civil fines, imposed by this title, or subject to assessment or collection by the department. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Taxpayer: includes a licensee and an applicant for a license, issued by or administered by the department. See South Carolina Code 12-60-30
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Voir dire: The process by which judges and lawyers select a petit jury from among those eligible to serve, by questioning them to determine knowledge of the facts of the case and a willingness to decide the case only on the evidence presented in court. "Voir dire" is a phrase meaning "to speak the truth."