In Georgia, EVERYTHING, both Real Property (land and buildings and permanent fixtures) and Personal Property (items that are moveable and not part of the land, such as cars, boats, airplanes, machinery, computers, store fixtures, everything a business owns, and unusual things and individual owns) are taxable, unless specifically exempted (your normal household items and clothing are exempted). The assessment of the property (locating, identifying, and valuing, and also exempting) is handled by the Board of Assessors and their appraisal staff. Every City, County, School Board, and many other authoritys levy the taxes by establishing the millage rate and authorizing the elected county tax commissioner or other taxing collecting agent (generally city clerks) to collect the taxes. With the exception of a minute amount(a quarter of a mill) all the money stays local under the control of the levying authority.
There are 159 counties in Georgia, and thus 159 different Boards of Assessors, and as a result, 159 different ways to locate, and assess property and to exempt it.
It IS a complicated system, unfair in many ways, and certainly needs to be streamlined. The talk of doing away with inventory taxes would be a good start. It would eliminate the hassles of attempting to value inventories, and also would eliminate the cumbersome Freeport exemption system, created to circumvent the taxing of inventories for most all but retailers. It would also eliminate the unfairness of special legislation that allows car dealers, aircraft dealers, boat dealers, motorized heavy equipment dealers, and motorized farm equipment dealers to be exempt from inventory taxes, while all retailers, mom and pop groceries and the like, and most other things, to be required to pay taxes on their Jan 1 inventories. Basically, if you have money, you buy special legislation to exempt your trade or industry.
Oddly, in Georgia, there is no aircraft registration or fees.
Sorry for the rant. Its a love hate relationship. I like the work, and really want to do a fair job of assessing everyone properly, but I don't like alot of what I see in the laws. I don't like to see certain individuals trying to cheat the system so they won't have to pay, because everyone else pays more when the millage rate goes up to compensate.
Charles
I'll shut up while I'm ahead. Its all fresh on my mind from having just finished this class today, and will quickly wear off.
Last edited by Chuck_Hanna; 02/01/08 09:41 PM.
