Uncategorized

March 21, 2017

It’s the Beginning of the Open Highway

Please join SCADA on congratulating Robby Bennett, of Bennett Motor Company in Cheraw, on his retirement.

Robby began working for his grandfather and father at Bennett Motor Co. at a young age. He even helped with new construction at the dealership in 1972. After graduating from the Chevrolet School of Merchandising and Management, he became Dealer Principal in 1988.

Robby was on the SCADA Board of Directors for 15 years and was President from 2005–2006. He has been an avid supporter of the Association since he was elected to the Board of Directors and for many years after.

Thank you, Robby, for your many decades of support of SCADA and for your humor!

We wish Robby all the best in his future adventures and this new chapter in life!

March 17, 2017

SCADA Has a Productive and Successful Week

SCADA Successfully Lobbies Full Senate Finance Committee on Sales Tax Cap

SCADA is proud to announce that we successfully lobbied the full Senate Finance Committee to lower the sales tax cap back down to $600 in the highway funding bill. Last week, a Senate Finance Subcommittee adopted a provision raising the sales tax cap to $700. SCADA argued vehemently against increasing the sales tax cap and reminded Senators of our agreement last year on highway funding to not increase the cap beyond $600. The full Senate Finance Committee met on Tuesday morning and agreed they did not want to field tons of calls from Dealers back home. They then voted unanimously to place the sales tax cap at $600.  SCADA is appreciative of Senator Paul Campbell/Berkeley and Senator Vincent Sheheen/Kershaw who led the way.  The highway funding bill now heads to the senate floor where a massive prolonged debate is anticipated.

SCADA Works to Get Loaner Car Bill Moving 

This week SCADA worked the Senate Transportation Subcommittee members to get our bill, S. 488 out of the subcommittee. Then, on Wednesday of this week, the full Senate Transportation Committee voted unanimously to pass the bill out of committee. SCADA allowed and drafted an amendment to help ease the bill through the committee process. The amendment did not adversely affect Dealers. The bill is now on the Senate floor for second reading. A copy of the amended bill may be viewed HERE Now that the bill is on the senate floor, we need Dealers to call Senators and ask for passage of S. 488. A list of senators that need to be contacted can be found HERE. The following Senators are already Sponsors and do not need to be contacted – Grooms, Johnson, Campbell, Campsen, Peeler and Climer.

SCADA Hosted Two Advertising Law Seminars Across The State

Monday of this week took SCADA to Greenville for the first in the series of our Advertising Law seminar. Twenty-eight attendees learned valuable information about off-site display, internet pricing, closing fees and general advertising laws. On Thursday we headed to Charleston for the same seminar where 33 attendees joined us. We appreciate our co-host, Kelly Rainsford from the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) for her part in the presentation. You may view her electronic presentation HERE. We hope to host a third advertising law seminar in Columbia this spring once we have a date determined by SCDCA.

March 15, 2017

Don’t Forget to Submit Your Nominations

Board of Directors Nominations

It’s that time of the year again and the Nominating Committee needs your input as selections are made for the 2017-2018 SCADA Board of Directors. Please click below to read and print the Nomination Form from Nominating Committee Chairman, George Gibbes.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATION FORM

Please consider the following when making your nomination(s):

• ​Dealers that are active SCADA Members.
• Dealers that are able to attend 3 Board meetings per year, plus Convention.

WHO CAN SERVE ON THE SCADA BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PER SCADA BYLAWS:

Section 4. AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE – Each member which is a person, firm, partnership or corporation shall appoint and designate in its application for membership, an individual associated with such member in said member’s place of business relating to the automotive industry, who shall in the absence of the member represent and act for the member in all the affairs of the Association. Such individual shall be known and referred to as the “Authorized Representative.”

Section 5. HOLDING OFFICE – The “Authorized Representative” of each voting member in good standing, provided said representative is a proprietor, a partner or an elected officer of a corporation, shall be eligible for election to the Board of Directors and to any office. 

TIME Dealer of the Year Nominations

Nominations for the 2018 Time Magazine’s Dealer of the Year Award are being accepted now. The Nominating Ballot may be viewed and printed HERE and must be returned to SCADA before May 30, 2017.

The eligibility guidelines to be nominated for this prestigious award are:

• Be a financial success in his/her own dealership.
• Work in his/her dealership at least 60% of the time it is open for business.
• Have been an active member of SCADA for the past five (5) years.
• Be a current member of NADA.
• Be actively involved in the betterment of his/her community and state.
• Current directors of NADA are not eligible for the award.
• A Dealer may not be nominated by someone employed within his/her dealership operation.

March 13, 2017

Calls Still Needed to Full Senate Transportation Committee

Last week, SCADA was successful at getting Senate Bill 488 – Dealer Loaner Car Bill passed out of the Senate Transportation Subcommittee with a unanimous vote. SCADA testified in favor of allowing Dealers to use Dealer tags for loaner cars for the service and repair of a customer’s vehicle. Currently, the Dealer tag law says that a Dealer may only provide a car to a customer for “demonstration” purposes and it is limited to seven days. The legislation would also allow Dealers to earn two tags for every 15 cars sold, allowing more Dealer tags for Dealers to use on loaner cars instead of having the large expense of “hard tagging” cars.

The bill now goes to the full Senate Transportation Committee.

Committee members need to hear from their local Dealer that this bill is important and is necessary!

The rental car companies have come out hard in opposition to the bill, saying that Dealers are trying to get into the rental car business. SCADA was successful at convincing the subcommittee that the rental car company’s arguments were not true or accurate but we now must be sure the full Senate Transportation Committee understands our issue.  If you do not want the rental car companies telling you what we can and can not do with Dealer tags then – CALL TODAY!

Senator Larry Grooms/Berkeley is the lead author of our bill and Senators Campbell/Charleston and Johnson/Clarendon are co-sponsors.

Ask your Senator to co-sponsor!

If you are in favor of the loaner car solution, please be sure to call your Senator on the Senate Transportation Committee and educate them on how expensive it is for you to hard tag cars to loan to customers for the time period of the service and repair of their vehicle.

– View a list of Senators on the Senate Transportation Committee HERE.
– View the talking points HERE.
– View the legislation HERE.

March 10, 2017

Calls Needed to Full Senate Transportation Committee

Yesterday, SCADA was successful at getting Senate Bill 488 – Dealer Loaner Car Bill passed out of the Senate Transportation Subcommittee with a unanimous vote. SCADA testified in favor of allowing Dealers to use Dealer tags for loaner cars for the service and repair of a customer’s vehicle. Currently, the Dealer tag law says that a Dealer may only provide a car to a customer for “demonstration” purposes and it is limited to seven days. The legislation would also allow Dealers to earn two tags for every 15 cars sold, allowing more Dealer tags for Dealers to use on loaner cars instead of having the large expense of “hard tagging” cars.

The bill now goes to the full Senate Transportation Committee.

Committee members need to hear from their local Dealer that this bill is important and is necessary!

The rental car companies have come out hard in opposition to the bill, saying that Dealers are trying to get into the rental car business. SCADA was successful at convincing the subcommittee that the rental car company’s arguments were not true or accurate but we now must be sure the full Senate Transportation Committee understands our issue.  If you do not want the rental car companies telling you what we can and can not do with Dealer tags then – CALL TODAY!

Senator Larry Grooms/Berkeley is the lead author of our bill and Senators Campbell/Charleston and Johnson/Clarendon are co-sponsors.

Ask your Senator to co-sponsor!

If you are in favor of the loaner car solution, please be sure to call your Senator on the Senate Transportation Committee and educate them on how expensive it is for you to hard tag cars to loan to customers for the time period of the service and repair of their vehicle.

– View a list of Senators on the Senate Transportation Committee HERE.
– View the talking points HERE.
– View the legislation HERE.

March 6, 2017

It’s Career Fair Season: Add Your Job Openings to SCADA’s Job Portal

SCADA will attend career fairs at multiple Automotive Tech Colleges throughout the state on our members’ behalf this spring. Students will be presented with information on our Job Portal and how to apply to dealership job openings. Add your job availability today!

1. Go to jobs.scada.org
2. Click on “Click Here to Begin the Application Process”
3. Click on “Dealer Login”
4. Log in with your provided credentials* from SCADA
5. Add jobs!

* If you do not have your login credentials, please contact Jordanne Rast at 803-252-02025

March 3, 2017

Highway Funding Bill Passes House of Representatives

Wednesday, the House passed a major highway funding bill on a 97 to 18 vote (a veto proof vote margin).

What the bill does:

• The bill increases gasoline tax by two cents each year over a five-year span.
• It increases the sales tax cap from $300 to $500.
• The “Highway User Fee” applies to in-state residents and vehicles that are registered in South Carolina (includes out-of-state residents who register a vehicle in South Carolina).
• The “Sales Tax” applies to out-of-state residents who purchase a vehicle in South Carolina, but register out-of-state.
• Both taxes are 5% of the sales price and capped at $500.
• Both taxes are to be remitted to SCDMV.
• The bill includes increases in automobile registration fees for automobiles powered by electricity, hydrogen, or any fuel other than motor fuel, and hybrid vehicles.
• Casual sales will pay 5% of fair market value.
• Individuals moving to South Carolina and registering their vehicle for the first time in South Carolina will pay a one-time registration fee of $250.
• The $250 1^st time registration fee, the highway user fee, and/or the sales tax do not apply to someone stationed in South Carolina serving active duty military in the United States Armed Forces.  Military spouses or dependents are only exempt from the 1^st time registration fee of $250.

Examples of how sales would be handled under the legislation as it passed the House:

• If an out-of-state customer buys a car in South Carolina, they would be charged 5% of the sales price up to the maximum sales tax of $500, or the lesser, according to if their state is a reciprocating state or not.
• If a South Carolina resident buys a car in another state, they will pay 5% of the sales price up to the maximum highway user fee of $500 to SCDMV.
• If someone moves to South Carolina and registers their car for the first time they will pay a registration fee of $250.
• If an out-of-state resident buys a car in South Carolina, registers their car in South Carolina, and keeps it at their vacation property in South Carolina, they will pay 5% of the sales price up to the maximum highway user fee of $500.

SCADA was successful at fixing numerous issues found in the legislation. SCADA worked closely with attorneys for the state drafting the legislation to correct errors. These errors include: 1) taking the sales tax cap off of sales to out-of-state residents (this also would have allowed local option sales taxes to also apply), 2) making sure military personnel stationed in South Carolina by orders of the United States Armed Forces were exempt from the highway user fee and/or the sales tax, 3) making Dealers send sales tax revenue to the Department of Revenue, but then sending the highway user fee collected by Dealers to the SCDMV. SCADA requested that Dealers remit both the sales tax and the highway user fee to SCDMV. This simplifies the remittance process.

The bill now heads to the South Carolina Senate where it will likely be debated at length. If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the bill will take effect June 30, 2017.

February 28, 2017

Board of Directors Nominations

It’s that time of the year again and the Nominating Committee needs your input as selections are made for the 2017-2018 SCADA Board of Directors. Please click below to read and print the Nomination Form from Nominating Committee Chairman, George Gibbes.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATION FORM

Please consider the following when making your nomination(s):

• ​Dealers that are active SCADA Members.
• Dealers that are able to attend 3 Board meetings per year, plus Convention.

WHO CAN SERVE ON THE SCADA BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PER SCADA BYLAWS:

Section 4. AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE – Each member which is a person, firm, partnership or corporation shall appoint and designate in its application for membership, an individual associated with such member in said member’s place of business relating to the automotive industry, who shall in the absence of the member represent and act for the member in all the affairs of the Association. Such individual shall be known and referred to as the “Authorized Representative.”

Section 5. HOLDING OFFICE – The “Authorized Representative” of each voting member in good standing, provided said representative is a proprietor, a partner or an elected officer of a corporation, shall be eligible for election to the Board of Directors and to any office.

TIME Dealer of the Year Nominations

Nominations for the 2018 Time Magazine’s Dealer of the Year Award are being accepted now. The Nominating Ballot may be viewed and printed HERE and must be returned to SCADA before May 30, 2017.

The eligibility guidelines to be nominated for this prestigious award are:

• Be a financial success in his/her own dealership.
• Work in his/her dealership at least 60% of the time it is open for business.
• Have been an active member of SCADA for the past five (5) years.
• Be a current member of NADA.
• Be actively involved in the betterment of his/her community and state.
• Current directors of NADA are not eligible for the award.
• A Dealer may not be nominated by someone employed within his/her dealership operation.