(A) For the purposes of this section, the administrative tax process includes matters connected with presentation to a state or local tax authority, or their officials or employees, relating to a client's rights, privileges, or liabilities pursuant to laws, regulations, or rules administered by state or local tax authorities. These presentations include the preparation and filing of necessary documents, correspondence with, and communications to, state and local tax authorities, and the representation of a client at conferences and meetings, including conferences with the county boards of assessment appeals. It does not include contested case hearings held by the Administrative Law Court or the courts.

(B) State and local government tax officials and state and local government employees may represent their offices, agencies, or both, during the administrative tax process.

(C) Taxpayers may be represented during the administrative tax process by:

(1) the same individuals who may represent them in administrative tax proceedings with the Internal Revenue Service pursuant to Section 10.3(a), (b), and (c), Section 10.7(a), (c)(1)(i) through (c)(1)(vi), and (c)(1)(viii), and Section 10.7(d) and (e) of United States Treasury Department Circular No. 230; and

(2) a real estate appraiser who is registered, licensed, or certified pursuant to Chapter 60, Title 40 during the administrative tax process in a matter limited to questions concerning the valuation of real property.

(D) The department may suspend or disbar from practice in the administrative tax process or censure any person authorized by these rules to represent taxpayers, if the person is shown to be incompetent, disreputable, or fails or refuses to comply with the rules in subsection (E), or in any manner, with intent to defraud, wilfully and knowingly deceives, misleads, or threatens any person or prospective person to be represented, by word, circular, letter, or by advertisement. The department may impose a monetary penalty on the representative, and if the representative was acting on behalf of an employer or any firm or other entity in connection with the conduct giving rise to the penalty, the department may impose a monetary penalty on the employer, firm, or entity if it knew, or reasonably should have known, of the conduct. The penalty may not exceed the gross income derived, or to be derived, from the conduct giving rise to the penalty and may be in addition to, or instead of, suspension, disbarment, or censure of the representative. For the purposes of this section, incompetence and disreputable conduct is defined in Section 10.51 of United States Treasury Department Circular No. 230. The department may review a petition for reinstatement as provided in Section 10.81.

(E) Representatives of taxpayers must comply with the duties and restrictions contained in Sections 10.20 through 10.24 and 10.27 through 10.34 of United States Treasury Department Circular No. 230.

(F) For purposes of this section the terms in United States Treasury Department Circular No. 230 must be given the meanings necessary to effectuate this section. For example, unless a different meaning is required:

(1) references to United States Treasury Department Circular No. 230 mean the United States Treasury Department Circular No. 230 as revised through the date provided for in the definition of the Internal Revenue Code in Section 12-6-40(A);

(2) references in United States Treasury Department Circular No. 230 to:

(a) the United States or federal are deemed to include references to this State, any of its political subdivisions, or any two or more of them;

(b) the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Treasury, Examination Division, or District Director are deemed to include references to any state or local tax authority; and

(c) the Director of Practice is deemed to mean the director or his designee.

(3) references to tax return mean appropriate return, including property tax returns filed with the department;

(4) references to federal tax obligations include all South Carolina taxes, including property taxes and property tax assessments, where administered by the department."

HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 60, Section 4A; 2001 Act No. 89, Section 40, eff July 20, 2001; 2003 Act No. 69, Section 3.CC, eff June 18, 2003; 2005 Act No. 161, Sections 13, 14, eff June 9, 2005; 2007 Act No. 110, Section 33, eff June 21, 2007; 2007 Act No. 116, Section 39, eff June 28, 2007, applicable for tax years beginning after 2007.