South Carolina House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, proposed a bill that would impose a fee on nonprofit hospitals and colleges making over $1 billion in revenue but are exempt from local taxes, according to GoUpstate.com.
The bill would allow local governing bodies to calculate a community charge for qualifying organizations, opening up new revenue streams for counties and municipalities.
The charges would be based on gross revenue, and organizations that failed to pay it would stand to lose their nonprofit status.
"If they're making over a billion dollars in revenue, we need to make sure they're contributing to the community," said Mr. Rutherford, according to GoUpstate.com. "Towns and counties need tax money. So when a hospital that makes over a billion dollars a year pays nothing, that means working South Carolinians pay more."