Impact fees are fees collected by a local government and are used as a tool to pay for new growth.  The South Carolina Impact Fee Act of 1999 proscribes how impact fees must be collected and lists limitations on how they can be used. The Charleston Trident Home Builders Association does not oppose impact fees. We do however believe that local government should comply with the state impact fee act as written. We do not support any changes to the current impact fee law. A fair, equitable fee is the desired goal, but when used as a growth management tool, impact fees have several limitations.  For this reason, the HBA supports educating the public on the effectiveness and limitations of impact fees and supports local governments investigating alternative funding mechanisms for public facilities.