Appeal Procedure The Appeal will be deemed an appeal of the entire Arbitration Award. In conducting the Appeal, the Appeal Panel shall conduct a de novo review of all Claims described or otherwise set forth in the Arbitration Notice. Subject to the foregoing and all other provisions of this Paragraph 5, the Appeal Panel shall conduct the Appeal in a manner the Appeal Panel considers appropriate for a fair and expeditious disposition of the Appeal, may hold one or more hearings and permit oral argument, and may review all previous evidence and discovery, together with all briefs, pleadings and other documents filed with the Original Arbitrator (as well as any documents filed with the Appeal Panel pursuant to Paragraph 5.4(a) below). Notwithstanding the foregoing, in connection with the Appeal, the Appeal Panel shall not permit the parties to conduct any additional discovery or raise any new Claims to be arbitrated, shall not permit new witnesses or affidavits, and shall not base any of its findings or determinations on the Original Arbitrator’s findings or the Arbitration Award.
Appeals Process The Participants acknowledge that, pursuant to local ordinances, regulations, and rules, each Participant has its own procedures by which matters relating to the calculation, assessment, and collection of business license taxes may be appealed. With respect to Impositions subject to this Agreement, however, each Participant has enacted a local ordinance by which appeals relating to such Impositions are excluded from the otherwise applicable local ordinance. Each Participant agrees that the appeals process described in this Section shall apply to all appeals relating to Impositions subject to this Agreement. Each Participant hereby consents to the adoption of the appeals process described in this Section; specifically declares its intention that such appeals process shall be deemed an exception to its otherwise applicable local ordinances, regulations, and rules; and agrees that it has or will approve such appeals process by appropriate local action.
(a) There is hereby created a board for purposes of hearing appeals pursuant to this Section (the “Appeals Board”). The Appeals Board shall contain three members. The President of the Association, the Executive Director of the Association, and the President of the South Carolina Business Licensing Officials Association (“BLOA”) shall each serve ex officio as members of the Appeals Board, with terms of office coterminous with their terms as officers of the Association or BLOA, as appropriate. The President of the Association, or in his or her absence the Executive Director of the Association, shall serve as chair at meetings of the Appeals Board.
(b) With respect to the calculation, assessment, and collection of Impositions, the following appeals process, as required by Section 6-1-410, shall apply.
(1) If a taxpayer fails or refuses to pay an Imposition by the date on which such Imposition is due, the LRS Business License Official may serve notice of assessment of the Imposition due on the taxpayer by mail or personal service. Within thirty days after the date of postmark or personal service, a taxpayer may request, in writing with reasons stated, an adjustment of the assessment. An informal conference between the LRS Business License Official and the taxpayer must be held within fifteen days of the receipt of the request, at which time the taxpayer may present any information or documents in support of the requested adjustment. Within five days after the conference, the LRS Business License Official shall issue a notice of final assessment and serve the taxpayer by mail or personal service with the notice and provide a form for any further appeal of the assessment by the taxpayer.
(2) Within thirty days after the date of postmark or personal service, the taxpayer may appeal the notice of final assessment by filing a completed appeal form with the LRS Business License Official, by mail or personal service, and by paying to LRS in protest at least eighty percent of the business license tax based on the final assessment. The appeal must be heard and determined by the Appeals Board. The Appeals Board shall provide the taxpayer with written notice of the hearing and with any rules of evidence or procedure prescribed by the Appeals Board. The hearing must be held within thirty days after receipt of the appeal form unless continued to another date by agreement of the parties. A hearing by the Appeals Board must be held at a regular or specially called meeting of the Appeals Board. At the appeals hearing, the taxpayer and LRS have the right to be represented by counsel, to present testimony and evidence, and to cross-examine witnesses. The hearing must be recorded and must be transcribed at the expense of the party so requesting. The Appeals Board shall decide the assessment by majority vote. The Appeals Board shall issue a written decision explaining the basis for the decision with findings of fact and conclusions and shall inform the taxpayer of the right to request a contested case hearing before the Administrative Law Court. The written decision must be filed with the LRS Business License Official and served on the taxpayer by mail or personal service. The decision is the final decision of LRS on the assessment.
(3) Within thirty days after the date of postmark or personal service of LRS’s written decision on the assessment, a taxpayer may appeal the decision to the Administrative Law Court in accordance with the rules of the Administrative Law Court.
