Lawmaker proposes 'Yankee tax' as northerners flock to this state in droves

FILE - Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is pictured over the Cooper River to Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by: Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) South Carolina state Sen.

Stephen Goldfinch has proposed a bill, dubbed the "Yankee Tax," that would require new residents to pay up to $500 to move to the Palmetto State.If passed by state referendum, new residents moving from out-of-state to South Carolina would be required to pay two one-time fees: $250 for new driver’s licenses and $250 for vehicle registrations.Goldfinch told Fox News Digital that the proposal is not trying to stop people from coming from out of state, just for new residents to "catch up with the rest of us.""I’m not trying to build a wall and this is not a fee against new residents, it’s a fee for people to catch up with the rest of us," Goldfinch told Fox News Digital.TEXAS, FLORIDA, CAROLINAS AMONG MOST MOVED-TO STATES IN 2022 DATA SHOWSThe money raised from the additional $250 tax would go toward the state's infrastructure, including roads, bridges and common community spaces."I think there's a rational basis for requiring newcomers to catch up with the rest of us and contribute to the roads, bridges, schools and green spaces that we've [residents] always contributed to," Goldfinch told Fox News Digital.His proposal comes after droves of people from the Northeast have moved to South Carolina in recent years.

According to the U.S. Census, nearly half a million people moved to the Palmetto State in the past decade.People flocked to the Southeast during the pandemic and stayed due to a host of reasons, including work flexibility, lower taxes and warmer weather.More Americans are reportedly looking to move to New.