Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT of REVENUE
March 2022
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
5RE\Q$&ULWWHQGHQ 6WDWH5HYHQXH&RPPLVVLRQHU
Table of Contents
Mission and Vision
1
Foreword
1
Taxpayer Bill of Rights
2
Organizational Chart
4
Organization of the Department
5
Regional Offices
7
2021 Year In Review
8
Tax Category Descriptions
10
DOR By the Numbers
12
Appendices
22
Appendix A: Revenue Collections
23
Appendix B: Corporate Income Tax
27
Appendix C: Individual Income Tax
30
Appendix D: Sales and Use Tax
34
Appendix E: Local Government Services
36
Appendix F: Motor Vehicle
39
Appendix G: Alcohol and Tobacco
42
Appendix H: Special Investigations
45
Appendix I: Audits and Compliance
46
Appendix J: Taxpayer Services and Processing
48
Appendix K: Tax Credit Summaries
50
Mission and Vision
Mission
Administer the tax laws of the state of Georgia fairly and efficiently in order to promote public confidence and compliance while providing excellent customer service.
Vision
The Georgia Department of Revenue is committed to be the most efficient and accessible tax administrator in the country. In order to meet this commitment, the agency strives to:
Provide excellent customer service
Treat all taxpayers and license holders equitably by consistently administering and enforcing applicable laws and administrative rules
Find innovative ways to improve processes using technology
Continuously identify and address opportunities for improvement
Maintain a highly motivated, welltrained workforce
Foreword
The Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR or Department) collects taxes and applicable fees from individual taxpayers and taxpaying entities across the state. The Department oversees the application and enforcement of Georgia's tax laws. The DOR prides itself on treating all taxpayers fairly, equitably, and in a manner that honors their contribution to the operation of the state of Georgia. The Department strives to make compliance easy and more convenient by improving systems and service. Similarly, the DOR works to ensure that all taxpayers only pay their statutory share of taxes.
Utilizing the Department's Integrated Tax Solution (ITS), the Department processed nearly 5.3 million individual income tax returns and issued over 3.4 million refunds.
In addition to the collection of revenue, the Department performs a wide range of tasks including the regulation and enforcement of alcohol and tobacco statutes, taxation of interstate trucking, administration of motor vehicle license plates and titles, review of county property tax digests, implementation of the unclaimed property program, and development of tax forms, instructions, and procedures.
1| Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
Taxpayer Bill of Rights
The mission of the Department of Revenue (DOR) is to administer the tax laws of the state of Georgia fairly and efficiently in order to promote public confidence and compliance while providing excellent customer service. As a Georgia taxpayer, you have the right to expect DOR to honor its mission and to uphold your rights every time you interact with DOR. This includes fair and courteous treatment in all dealings with DOR, prompt and accurate responses to all questions and requests for tax assistance, and fair and timely hearings on disputes of any tax liability as provided by law. The following is a summary of your rights and DOR's responsibilities to you as a Georgia taxpayer.
Rights of a Taxpayer
1 2 3
Privacy
You have the right to privacy with regard to information you provide pertaining to returns, reports, or the affairs of your business, except under certain circumstances. See O.C.G.A. 48-2-15 and 48-7-60.
Assistance
You have the right to prompt and accurate responses from DOR to questions and requests for tax assistance.
Explanation
You have the right to a clear explanation of: the basis of any audit activities performed; the basis of an assessment of additional taxes, interest and penalties, or the denial or decrease of any refund or credit claim; the basis of any DOR enforcement or collection activities; the procedure for protesting a Proposed Assessment or Refund Denial; and the procedure for appealing an Official Assessment and Demand for Payment, Refund Denial, or State Tax Execution.
4 5
Dispute
You have the right to dispute an adverse decision of DOR as further detailed below.
Representation
You have the right to representation by your authorized agent, whether an attorney, accountant, or other person with a properly completed Power of Attorney, in any hearing or conference with DOR. A Power of Attorney form can be found by entering "Power of Attorney" in the search box on DOR's website at https://dor.georgia.gov.
Obligations of the Georgia Department of Revenue
The Department has the obligation to:
Perform audits and conduct conferences with you at reasonable times and places; Furnish copies of DOR's audit documents that explain the basis for an assessment; Resolve tax controversies fairly and equitably at the administrative level whenever possible; and Estimate your tax liability and issue an assessment based on the best information available if you have failed
to maintain suitable records to determine the amount of tax due or to support the accuracy of a return.
GGeeoorrggiaiaDDeeppaarrttmmeennttooffRReevveennuueeAAnnnnuuaallaannddSSttaattiissttiiccaallRReeppoorrttFFisisccaallaannddCCaalelennddaarrYYeeaarr22002211| 2
Requesting a Tax Refund
You may file a claim for an income tax refund within three years after the later of: the date the taxes were paid or the due date for filing the tax return, including any applicable extensions.
You may file a claim for a refund of taxes other than income tax within three years after the date the taxes were paid.
The claim must be in writing and include a summary statement of the grounds upon which you rely and identification of the transactions that form the basis of the refund being claimed. Forms to file a refund claim are available on the DOR website at https://dor.georgia.gov/documents/forms.
Disputing a Notice of Proposed Assessment or Refund Denial
To dispute a Proposed Assessment or Refund Denial, you may protest with the Department within 30 days of the issued date printed on the notice. To protest online, log on to the Georgia Tax Center website at https://gtc.dor.ga.gov. To protest by mail, complete a Protest of Proposed Assessment or Refund Denial form (Form TSD-1) by entering a search for the form on the Department's website at https://dor.georgia.gov, downloading a copy, and following the instructions therein. DOR will notify you that the protest has either been granted or denied.
If DOR grants your protest of a Proposed Assessment, the assessment will be modified or withdrawn. If DOR grants your protest of a Refund Denial, the approved refund will be issued.
If DOR denies your protest of a Proposed Assessment, DOR will issue an Official Assessment and Demand for Payment and notify you of the assessment amount, subject to the right to appeal. You also have the right to appeal if DOR denies your protest of a Refund Denial.
Disputing an Official Assessment, Refund Denial or State Tax Execution
To dispute an Official Assessment, you must appeal the Official Assessment either to the Georgia Tax Tribunal (GTT) or to the appropriate superior court within 30 days of the issued date of the Official Assessment and Demand for Payment Notice.
To dispute the Denial of a Claim for Refund, if DOR denies your claim for refund, you can appeal the denial either to GTT or to the appropriate superior court within: (i) two years from the date the refund claim was denied, or (ii) if later, 30 days after the issued date of DOR's notice of decision if you elected to protest the refund denial before appealing.
To dispute the Issuance of a State Tax Execution: Failure to either pay or appeal an Official Assessment within 30 days may result in the issuance of a State Tax Execution. You can appeal the issuance of a State Tax Execution to GTT or in the appropriate superior court.
Georgia Tax Tribunal GTT hears and decides certain state tax disputes and is
completely separate from DOR. Decisions of GTT (except small claims cases) may be appealed to the Superior Court of Fulton County.
GTT's Small Claims Division handles appeals where the amount of tax and penalties in controversy is less than either $15,000 for income tax cases or $50,000 for other tax types. Decisions in small claims cases are final and cannot be appealed.
To file an appeal with GTT, complete a Georgia Tax Tribunal Petition by entering a search and downloading the form from www.gataxtribunal.ga.gov and following the instructions.
Superior Court An appeal in superior court must satisfy certain legal procedural requirements and must be accompanied by either a surety bond in an amount equal to the amount in dispute or timely evidence of your owning equity in real estate in Georgia in an amount equal to or in excess of the amount in dispute. It is highly recommended that you retain legal counsel for an appeal to superior court.
Collection Procedures
If you fail to either pay or appeal an Official Assessment within 30 days, DOR may issue a State Tax Execution and impose a 20% collection fee. The State Tax Execution may be recorded in county public records and will constitute a lien covering all property in which you have any interest.
After the issuance of the tax execution, DOR can use all lawful means to collect the amount due, including garnishment, levy, and sale of your property or rights to property. Any additional costs that arise from such collection actions will be added to the amount due indicated on the State Tax Execution.
An appeal to GTT or superior court stays any enforcement or collection actions by DOR (except for actions taken due to the issuance of a Jeopardy Assessment), although the stay may be lifted for good cause by the GTT or superior court judge.
DOR is authorized to issue a Jeopardy Assessment against you for the immediate collection of any tax if there is evidence that you intend to leave Georgia, remove your property, conceal yourself or your property, discontinue your business without making adequate provisions for the payment of state taxes, or do anything which has the potential to prejudice or jeopardize DOR's ability to assess or collect state taxes that you owe. A Jeopardy Assessment may be appealed in the same manner as an Official Assessment; however, collection activities will continue unless you file a bond with DOR that adequately secures payment of the tax.
Taxpayer Resolution Unit
The Taxpayer Resolution Unit ensures that your rights as a taxpayer are protected and that you receive timely and courteous service from DOR. If you have exhausted all administrative options to resolve an issue, the Taxpayer Resolution Unit can facilitate a timely and equitable resolution.
Please direct any suggestions or complaints concerning a particular tax-related issue to the Taxpayer Resolution Unit at taxpayer.resolution@dor.ga.gov.
3 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
Organizational Chart
Robyn A. Crittenden
State Revenue Commissioner
Bethany Beasley
Executive Assistant
Frank O Connell
Deputy State Revenue Commissioner & General Counsel
Cristy Ethridge
Executive Assistant
Dominick Capotosto
Deputy General Counsel
Chester Cook
Assistant Deputy Commissioner
Tax Operations
Frances Watson
Assistant Deputy Commissioner
External Operations
Dr. Georgia Steele
Assistant Deputy Commissioner
Agency Operations, Governance & Planning
Steven Alvarez
Audits Division Director
Stephen DeBaun
Income Tax Policy Director
James Beveridge
Law Enforcement
Director
Kerry Herndon
Compliance Division Director
Amy Oneacre
Sales Tax Policy Director
Charles Nazerian
Local Government Services Division
Director
Darcy Pyle
Taxpayer Services Division
Director
Brent Bennett
Motor Vehicle Division
Director
Ken Nash
Chief Financial Officer
Debbie Smith
Chief Human Resources Officer
Ananias Williams
Chief Information Officer
Mason Rainey
External Affairs & Communications
Director
Jonathan Coulborn
Internal Audit Director
Information Technology
Division
ITS Governance
Division
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 4
Organization of the Department
The Department of Revenue is organized into eleven operational divisions described below. Many of the Agency s divisions focus directly on tax collection and distribution while others provide administrative support to their counterparts.
Administration
The Administration Division houses the Commissioner's Office and all administrative functions. Each administrative support function operates as an independent office. The DOR administrative offices include - Finance, Human Resources, Internal Audits, External Affairs, Information Technology and the Office of the General Counsel
The Finance team manages the financial resources of the Department. They own general accounting functions like ledger maintenance, deposits, reconciling, and mandated reporting of all revenue collection activity. Similarly, the Finance team also facilitates agency procurement, financial reporting and analysis, fleet management, real property management, and surplus property processing.
The Internal Audits (IA) team identifies and investigates potential threats facing the Department and provides objective consultation and recommendations to agency leaders. IA focuses heavily on internal controls, process improvements, risk management, and governance. It also conducts follow-up efforts to ensure that impacted parties promptly implement appropriate changes.
The Integrated Tax Solution Governance and Information Technology Divisions report to the Chief Information Officer and performs key technical functions for the Agency. Their work includes supporting DOR's integrated tax system (ITS), the Driver Record Integrated Vehicle Enterprise System (DRIVES), network and server maintenance, information security, database administration, project management, quality management, document management/imaging, and end-user computing support.
Tax Operations Divisions - Audits, Compliance, Office of Tax Policy and Taxpayer Services and Processing Division
The Audits Division verifies the accuracy of tax returns and refund claims filed within the state. Audits ensures that the state's collections and distribution activities are accurate and executed according to current law. This division
conducts audits for individual income tax, sales and use tax, corporate income/net worth, flow-through entities, withholding, film and other tax credits, and miscellaneous excise taxes (e.g., motor fuel, International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA), International Registration Plan (IRP)).
The Compliance Division ensures that Georgia's taxpayers comply with Georgia's tax laws and works with delinquent taxpayers to become voluntarily compliant. This division provides assistance through the DOR headquarters and the 11 regional offices around the state. Each regional office monitors activity within its region and ensures that applicable sales and use tax is collected and remitted appropriately.
The Taxpayer Services and Processing Division processes payments, returns, refunds, and administers applicable tax credits. This division also houses the Taxpayer Resolution Unit and other support services including those provided directly to individuals, businesses, and tax professionals through the provision of call center services, educational seminars, and training programs. Additionally, the division maintains all tax forms and manages the tax software certification program.
The Office of Tax Policy develops and supports the implementation of tax policies and programs. Tax Policy is responsible for analyzing and implementing tax legislation, drafting and revising regulations and other external tax policy guidance, facilitating protest conferences, drafting conference rulings and letter rulings, and providing tax policy guidance to the State Revenue Commissioner and other Department Divisions.
External Operations Divisions - Law Enforcement, Local Government Services and Motor Vehicles
The Alcohol and Tobacco Division regulates state-mandated licensing of Georgia's alcohol and tobacco industry. They enforce criminal codes related to the manufacture, transport, and distribution of alcohol and tobacco within the state. Similarly, this division audits alcohol and tobacco accounts to ensure accuracy and compliance. Finally, the Alcohol and Tobacco Division operates a call center to provide counsel and support to taxpayers.
The Office of Special Investigations (OSI) investigates motor vehicle title and registration fraud, State Motor Fuel enforcement to include IRP, IFTA, and CMV laws and regulations, internal affairs complaints, and the physical security of the Department. The office also conducts internal affairs investigations.
5 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
The Local Government Services Division administers various laws and regulations that govern the collection of property tax. This division also manages the distribution of sales and use tax revenue to local taxing authorities and implements laws outlined in the Unclaimed Property Act. This division oversees Forestland Protection Act (FLPA) grants, E911 prepaid wireless fees, fireworks excise tax, and alternate ad valorem tax (AAVT). The Motor Vehicle Division issues various official documents related to the ownership or operation of motor vehicles. This includes license plates, credentials for the International Registration Plan (IRP), certificates of title, and liens and security interest information for Georgia vehicles. The division also operates a call center to assist taxpayers and provides program support to 159 elected county tax commissioners.
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 |66
Regional Offices
Albany
735 N Westover Blvd Suite A Albany, GA 31707 Telephone: (229) 430-4241
Athens
1047 Summit Grove Drive Building 100, Suite 101 Watkinsville, Georgia 30677 Telephone: (706) 389-6977
Atlanta
1800 Century Blvd., Suite 12000 Atlanta, GA 30345 Telephone: (404) 417-6605
Augusta
610 Ronald Reagan Dr., Bldg G-1 Evans, GA 30809 Telephone: (706) 650-6300
Cartersville
314 East Main St, Suite 150 Cartersville, GA 30120 Telephone: (770) 387-4060
Columbus
1501 13th Street, Suite A Columbus, GA 31901 Telephone: (706) 649-7451
Douglas
1214 North Peterson Ave., Suite 1 Douglas, GA 31533 Telephone: (912) 389-4094
Gainesville
528 A Broad Street SE Gainesville, GA 30501 Telephone: (770) 718-3700
Cartersville Atlanta
South Metro
Columbus
Albany
Macon
6055 Lakeside Commons Dr., Suite 220 Macon, GA 31210 Telephone: (478) 471-3550
Savannah
1000 Town Center Blvd Building 900, Suite A Pooler, GA 31322 Telephone: (912) 748-5199
South Metro
4125 Welcome All Road, Suite 914 Atlanta, GA 30349 Telephone: (404) 724-7200
Gainesville Athens
Augusta Macon
Savannah Douglas
7 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
2021 Year In Review
11sStTQQuUarAtRerTER
The Motor Vehicle Division kicked off hosting monthly webinars for stakeholder groups such as county tax
commissioners and their staff.
The Department transitioned the Integrated Tax System (ITS) and several supporting applications to the
cloud to improve efficiency and reduce operational costs.
The Audits Division implemented the new Film Tax Credit Audits program. This program certifies
outside audit firms to assist in conducting audits for the Department.
The Department completed Rollout 2 of DRIVES
by bringing the Driver's License system online with the Department of Driver Services (DDS). This implementation also included a software upgrade for Motor Vehicle and County Tag Office users.
22NndDQQuUaArtReTrER
Launch of the revamped Georgia Electronic Insurance
Compliance System (GEICS). The updated database of all motor vehicles and their current insurance status and provides for better support for compliance and information upload.
DOR recognized for participation in the Georgia Oglethorpe and Florida Governor's Sterling Performance
Excellence assessment program.
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 8
Q3RuDarQteUr A3RTER
The Department re-organized key divisions within the functional
areas of Tax Operations, External Operations, and Administration.
The Department's International Registration Plan (IRP)
system transitioned to the cloud in a continued focus on improving efficiency and reducing operational costs.
4TH QUARTER 4th Quarter
The Department received the Governor s Award for the
State Charitable Contributions Program (SCCP) for donating the most money to charity of the agencies in the 501 to 1000 employees category and exceeded our internal goal by over 15%. The program encourages charitable giving among state employees and agencies to work together to raise money for various charities including making individual donations to the charity of their choice.
Renewed agency-wide focus on our call center performance and customer service options for
customers. This initiative includes expanded communication options such as email support to increase service options.
New Location of the Athens Regional Office The Department's Athens Regional Office relocated to
a new facility at 1047 Summit Grove Drive, Building 100, Suite 101, Watkinsville, Georgia 30677. Regional offices are primarily staffed with Revenue Agents to provide general taxpayer assistance, and to identify and collect liabilities of business taxes and fees administered by the Department. The Athens Regional Office serves Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Franklin, Greene, Hart, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Rockdale, Stephens, and Rockdale counties.
9 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
Tax Category Descriptions
Alcohol Taxes
The licensed sale of alcoholic beverages commenced in Georgia during the mid-1930s following the nationwide repeal of Prohibition. Georgia is a "local option" state for the licensing and sale of alcoholic beverages. Any city or county that wants to provide for the licensing and sale of distilled spirits can do so legally only after an affirmative vote of its citizens. Upon approval of the voters, the licensing, sale, and manufacture of distilled spirits is permitted provided the manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer complies with all local licensing requirements and obtains an alcohol beverage license from DOR. Georgia alcohol taxes are collected by the wholesaler at the time of delivery to the retailer. The wholesaler remits all taxes collected to the Department of Revenue. Georgia taxes alcoholic beverages as follows:
Distilled Spirits:
Distilled spirits (less than 190 proof)
Manufactured within Georgia are taxed at 50 cents (excise tax) per liter.
Manufactured outside of Georgia are taxed at $1 per liter.
Alcohol (190 proof or higher)
Manufactured within Georgia is taxed at 70 cents per liter.
Manufactured outside of Georgia is taxed at $1.40 per liter.
Some localities collect a local tax, which can be up to 22 cents per liter.
Malt Beverage:
The state tax is $1.08 per standard case of 24 twelveounce containers (4.5 cents per can) plus a uniform local beer tax of $1.20 per standard case (5 cents per can).
Wine:
Table wines (14 percent or less alcohol by volume)
Manufactured within Georgia are taxed at 11 cents per liter.
Manufactured outside of Georgia are taxed at 40 cents per liter.
Dessert wines (more than 14 percent, but not more than 21 percent alcohol by volume)
Manufactured within Georgia are taxed at 27 cents per liter.
Manufactured outside the state are taxed at 67 cents per liter.
Wines that are fortified with distilled spirits, which results in an alcohol content of more than 21 percent alcohol by volume, are taxed as distilled spirits.
Some localities collect a local tax, which can be up to 22 cents per liter.
Corporate Income Taxes
Georgia's current corporate income tax rate of 5.75 percent first became effective in 2019 for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2019. The tax was initiated in Georgia in 1929 with a rate of assessment equal to one-third of the federal rate. In 1931, the rate was changed to 4 percent.
Individual Income Tax
Georgia's individual income tax is a graduated tax based upon an individual's federal adjusted gross income. Starting with taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2019, Georgia's maximum individual income tax rate is 5.75 percent. The state initiated an individual income tax in 1929, assessed at one-third of the federal rate. The basic allowance relieved all but a small percentage of Georgia families from paying Georgia income tax. In 1937, the system was revised to essentially the graduated scale used by Georgia joint filers today. Additional refinements, including the creation of withholding tax and estimated tax as well as new graduated schedules for certain types of tax filers, have been incorporated over the years.
Motor Fuel Tax
The state excise tax is the only statewide motor fuel tax. For calendar year 2021, the state excise tax rate is 28.7 per gallon for all fuel types (e.g., gasoline, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and special fuels including Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)) except for diesel fuel, which is taxed at a rate of 32.2 per gallon. Each year, by law, the Department of Revenue adjusts the rate according to the relative increase or decrease in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as set by the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics and the
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 10
relative increase or decrease in fuel economy as set by the United States Department of Energy. The adjustment for the change in the CPI will no longer be used after July 1, 2025. Aviation gasoline is subject to a 1 per gallon excise tax so long as the fuel is sold to a licensed aviation distributor.
Although there is no local motor fuel excise tax, local governments impose a prepaid local sales and use tax on motor fuels at a rate varying between 2 and 4.5 percent depending on the local sales taxes in effect in each jurisdiction. DOR calculates the average retail sales price used for determining the prepaid local tax; however, the average retail sales price used to calculate the prepaid local tax may not exceed $3.00 per gallon.
Motor Vehicle Tags and Titles
Georgia law first required motor vehicle registrations beginning in 1910. Certificates of title to motor vehicles were first required for 1963 model year vehicles. Motor vehicles are subject to annual registration fees ranging from $12 to $750 depending on the weight of the vehicle.
Motor vehicles titled prior to March 1, 2013 are subject to an annual ad valorem tax, for which the revenue is received primarily by local governments. Vehicles titled on or after March 1, 2013 are subject to a one-time state and local title ad valorem tax (TAVT) at a rate of 7% of the Fair Market Value of the vehicle, which is due at the time of application for a certificate of title. Beginning January 1, 2020 and ending June 3, 2023, the rate was reduced to 6.6%. TAVT proceeds are divided between state and local governments.
Property Tax
In the mid-1800s, Georgia passed an act allowing for the taxation of property. The ad valorem tax has remained in effect and constitutes the primary source of revenue for county governments, municipalities, and public school systems in Georgia. The state levy of annual ad valorem property tax was eliminated as of January 1, 2016.
Sales and Use Tax
In April 1951, Georgia became the 30th state to implement a statewide sales and use tax. The rate was initially 3 percent but was increased to 4 percent in April 1989 where it remains today.
Local sales and use taxes are also imposed at rates varying between 2 and 5 percent depending on the local jurisdiction and which taxes are in place:
Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) Educational Local Option Sales Tax (ELOST) Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) Homestead Local Option Sales Tax (HOST)
Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST)
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Tax
City of Atlanta Municipal Option Sales Tax (MOST)
Tobacco Tax
State taxation of cigars and cigarettes began in 1923. The rate on cigarettes increased gradually to 12 cents per pack in 1971. Effective July 1, 2003, the excise tax on a pack of 20 cigarettes increased to the present rate of 37 cents.
In July 2003, the state began imposing an excise tax on loose and smokeless tobacco. This tax is based upon 10 percent of the wholesale cost price. Effective July 2003, the tax rate on "little cigars" (weighing not more than 3 pounds per thousand) increased from 2 mills to 2.5 mills each. The tax on all other cigars increased from 13 percent to 23 percent of the wholesale cost price.
11 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
DOR By The Numbers
Fiscal Year 2021 Net collections totaled $26,897,303,860
This represents an increase of $3,196,374,429 or 13.5% compared to FY2020.
Leading all categories in the itemization of net tax collections was Individual Income Tax with a total of $14,222,158,602, which accounted for over 50% of net revenue collections. This represents an increase of $1,814,018,016 or 14.62% compared to FY2020.
52.9%
Income Tax - Individual
25.8%
Sales and Use Tax
Net Collections Percentage by
Category:
6.6%
Motor Fuel Taxes
6.5%
Corporate Tax
0.0%
*Property Tax
0.5%
Hotel / Motel Fees
0.85%
Alcohol Beverage Tax
4.3%
Motor Vehicle Tag, Title and Fees
1.6%
Miscellaneous / Other Revenue
0.9%
Tobacco Tax
*Property taxes are collected at the local government level.
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 12
Thousands Millions
CORPORATE INCOME TAX During Calendar Year 2021...
359
344
337
278
305
CY2017 CY2018 CY2019 CY2020 CY2021
86.9%
received electronically
13.1%
received by mail
CORPORATION INCOME TAX
Approximately 337,000
corporate tax returns were received and processed.
The net tax collections totaled
over $1.9 billion.
$1,997
$1,328 $1,351 $1,001 $1,091
CY2017 CY2018 CY2019 CY2020 CY2021
79.3% of the total number of
corporation income tax returns were Georgia corporations.
600
600
600
600
600
600
600
600
600
600
Georgia's overall corporate net taxable income totaled
nearly $28 billion.
25.7% of this total was
reported by Georgia corporations.
In Fiscal Year 2021, the Department issued 20,213 corporate tax refunds totaling $254.9 million.
13 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAX
Thousands Millions
During Calendar Year 2021...
4,506
4,821
4,980
5,196
5,287
CY2017 CY2018 CY2019 CY2020 CY2021
98.2%
received electronically
1.8%
received by mail
Nearly 5.3 million individual
income tax returns were received and processed. Net income tax collections totaled
over $15.1 billion.
$15,189 $11,297 $11,876 $12,147 $13,020
CY2017 CY2018 CY2019 CY2020 CY2021
Year Over Year Individual Income Tax Growth Trends:
Number of Returns
3.74%
CY2021 5.2M CY2020 5.0M
*Does not include amended returns.
Adjusted Gross Income
10.60%
CY2021 $299.0B CY2020 $270.4B
Taxable Net Income
12.70%
CY2021 $261.2B CY2020 $231.8B
Tax Liability
13.12%
CY2021 $14.3B CY2020 $12.6B
*This reflects 2020 tax liabilities processed in CY2021.
Georgia, Southeast, and United States Per Capita Personal Income::
Georgia
$51,780
Southeast
$52,096
United States
$59,510
In Fiscal Year 2021, the Department issued almost 3.5 million individual tax refunds totaling nearly $2.7 billion.
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 14
SALES AND USE TAX
In Fiscal Year 2021...
Nearly $14.4 billion in sales and use tax payments were received by the Department.
18.2% Food & Grocery 17.6% Other Retail 14.4% General Merchandise 11.5% Miscellaneous Services
8.8% Home Furnishings 8.7% Wholesale 7.2% Utilities 5.4% Manufacturing
3.3% Automotive 2.4% Other Services 1.6% Accommodations 0.9% Construction
Net collections after adjustments combined with
local distributions totaled over $14.0 billion.
Over $6.9 billion retained by state.
Sales and Use Tax Collections Distributed:
$7.1 billion distributed to all local governments.
4,442 sales and use tax refunds were issued totaling $104.1 million.
During Calendar Year 2021...
1,361
1,475
1,541
1,605
1,801
Over 1.8 million sales and use tax
returns were received and processed.
Thousands
CY2017 CY2018 CY2019 CY2020 CY2021
99.9%
received electronically
15 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
0.1%
received by mail
LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES
During this reporting period...
Counties received a total of
$5.5 billion in sales and
use tax distribution.
Net Property and Utility Digest Values totaled
$411.4 billion.
Top Ranked Counties...
1
Local Sales Tax Distribution:
2
3
Fulton County
$672.4 million
Gwinnett County
$364.6 million
DeKalb County
$356.6 million
Net Property and Utility Digest Values:
1
2
3
Fulton County
$72.3 billion
Cobb County
$37.0 billion
Gwinnett County
$36.1 billion
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 16
MOTOR VEHICLES In Fiscal Year 2021...
The Department in partnership with 159 county tax commissioners and their offices issued:
JAN
21
10.4 million
registrations
GEORGIA
ABC1234
2.4 million
tags
3.1 million 989 thousand*
titles
insurance notices mailed
*Decrease reflects changes to insurance notification process.
Registrations Issued:
64.2% Passenger Cars 20.7% Trucks 12.7% Trailers 2.1% Motorcycles 0.4% Bus
0.0% Other
Top Registered Active Specialty Tag:
University of Georgia
INTERNATIONAL REGISTRATION PLAN
58,015 vehicles registered under the
International Registration Plan (IRP) were based in Georgia.
Over $84.5 million in
registration fees were collected from Georgia and 58 other jurisdictions.
17 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO
In Fiscal Year 2021...
$471.5 million were collected in
revenue from selective excise taxes.
51.6% Tobacco 19.7% Beer 18.5% Liquor 10.3% Wine
$2.9 million collected in revenue
from business license fees.
65.3% Liquor Dealer 17.5% Cigar &
Cigarette Dealer 9.6% Wine Dealer 7.6% Beer Dealer
Over $1.7 million in alcohol and tobacco delinquent taxes, fees, and fines were collected.
More than $1.1 million in delinquent taxes.
$84 thousand in fees.
$457 thousand in fines/penalties.
Alcohol and Tobacco Division Performance for Fiscal Year 2021...
35 Agents
Completed:
11,253
Inspections
7,345
Investigations
1,482
Citations
315
Arrests
1
Still Seizure
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 18
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS Office of Special Investigations Performance for Fiscal Year 2021...
Over
$93.9 million
fraudulent refund claims blocked from issuance.
Over 4.5 million tax returns reviewed.
1,406
total cases
41 tax cases
investigated
1,365 auto crimes
cases investigated
3,051
dyed fuel inspections conducted
Issued 17 violations
20,211
salvage vehicle inspections performed state-wide
19 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
AUDITS AND COMPLIANCE Tax Compliance Performance for Fiscal Year 2021...
11
regional offices
136,485
telephone calls seeking assistance
5,407
walk-in taxpayers seeking assistance
75,405
audits completed.
36% found to be in compliance.
Average Number of
54
Hours Per Audit:
47
hours
hours
9
1
hours
hour
Individual Withholding Miscellaneous Sales and
Income Tax
Tax
Taxes
Use Tax
Over $946.1 million
collected by auditors and revenue agents.
Revenue Agents
$611.9 million
$3.5 million averaged per field agent
In-State Auditors
$169.4 million
$2.4 million averaged per auditor
Out-of-State Auditors
$ 164.8 million
$4.1 million averaged per auditor
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 20
TAXPAYER SERVICES AND PROCESSING Taxpayer Services Performance for Fiscal Year 2021...
683,989
in-bound calls
595,270
calls answered
76% of calls
answered in under 6 minutes.
Taxpayer Workshops:
21 workshops provided
516 workshop attendees
Processing Performance for Fiscal Year 2021...
Total Returns Processed (Thousands):
FY2021 FY2020 FY2019 FY2018 FY2017
9,652
8,030 8,556
8,298 8,116
21 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
Appendix A: Revenue Collections
Net Revenue Collections by Category, 23 Net Revenue Collections by Month, 24 Refunds by Month, 24 Revenue Collections Summary, 25
Appendix B: Corporate Income Tax
Net Corporate Tax Collections and
Returns, 27
Corporation Income Tax Returns by
Taxable Income Class, 28
Appendix C: Individual Income Tax
Net Individual Income Tax Collections and
Returns, 30
Growth Trend of Individual Income Tax, 31 Georgia, Southeast, and United States Per
Capita Income, 31
Comparative Trends in Individual Income
and State Income Tax Receipts, 32
Electronic Filing versus Paper Returns, 32 Summary of Tax Returns Processed, 32 Individual Income Tax by Income Class, 33
Appendix D: Sales and Use Tax
Comparison of Sales Tax Collected and
Distributed to Local Government by Fiscal Year, 34
Net Sales and Use Tax Collections by
Month, 35
Sales and Use Tax Revenues by Business
Group, 35
Appendix E: Local Government Services
Taxable Values and Rates, General
Property, and Public Utilities, 36
Economic Indicators by County, 37
Appendices
Appendix F: Motor Vehicles
Top 10 Active Registrations for Georgia
Specialty License Plates, 40
Motor Vehicle Registrations, 41 Number of Motor Vehicle Registrations
Issued by Major Category, 41
International Registration Plan (IRP)
Registrations and Collections, 41
Appendix G: Alcohol and Tobacco
Tax and Fee Collections by Alcohol and
Tobacco Division, 43
Revenue from Selective Excise Taxes, 43 Revenue from Business License Fees, 43 Alcohol and Tobacco Division
Performance Figures, 44
Appendix H: Special Investigations
Office of Special Investigations
Performance Figures, 45
Appendix I: Audits and Compliance
Tax Compliance Performance Figures, 47
Appendix J: Taxpayer Services and Processing
Taxpayer Services and Processing
Performance Figures, 49
Appendix K: Tax Credit Summaries
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 22
REVENUE COLLECTIONS
Net Revenue Collections by Category (Thousands)
Tax Type Income Tax - Individual Corporate Tax Sales and Use Tax Motor Fuel Taxes Motor Vehicle - Tag, Title and Fees
Revenue
$
14,222,159
$
1,750,735
$
6,948,296
$
1,781,682
$
1,150,467
Tax Type
Tobacco Tax
$
Alcohol Beverages Tax
$
Property Tax
$
Hotel / Motel Fees
$
Miscellaneous / Other Revenue & Fees $
Net Tax Collections
$
Revenue 242,897 227,872
174 138,963 434,059 26,897,304
23 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
Net Revenue Collections by Month (Thousands)
Month July August September October November December January February March April May June Total
FY2017
FY2018
$
1,605,953 $
1,719,389 $
$
1,690,362 $
1,686,388 $
$
2,014,329 $
2,076,319 $
$
1,768,000 $
1,710,500 $
$
1,719,372 $
1,844,044 $
$
2,058,839 $
2,264,947 $
$
2,200,410 $
2,568,577 $
$
1,175,538 $
1,231,391 $
$
1,566,472 $
1,558,311 $
$
2,261,733 $
2,310,424 $
$
1,726,567 $
1,758,059 $
$
1,957,530 $
1,978,075 $
$
21,745,105 $
22,706,424 $
FY2019 1,778,784 $ 1,803,791 $ 2,229,441 $ 2,012,940 $ 1,830,951 $ 2,162,494 $ 2,254,447 $ 1,299,571 $ 1,667,311 $ 2,870,106 $ 1,759,100 $ 2,124,117 $ 23,793,052 $
FY2020 1,834,522 $ 1,753,446 $ 2,245,173 $ 1,980,778 $ 1,808,572 $ 2,228,319 $ 2,355,225 $ 1,353,898 $ 1,830,758 $ 2,792,038 $ 1,581,089 $ 1,937,111 $ 23,700,929 $
FY2021 2,146,353 1,887,934 2,163,861 2,015,982 1,959,508 2,399,681 2,530,782 1,934,854 1,897,715 2,803,047 2,657,366 2,500,220 26,897,304
Fiscal Year 2021 Refunds by Month
Month
July August September October November December January February March April May June Grand Total
Individual
Corporate
Sales Taxes
Refunds (Thousands)
$
265,709
$
102,413
$
93,684
$
170,728
$
62,295
$
58,700
$
44,993
$
129,974
$
720,579
$
457,878
$
407,351
$
160,460
$ 2,674,764
Number of Refunds
Refunds (Thousands)
310,924 $
24,470
91,883 $ 59,801 $
16,815 16,581
90,532 $ 30,750 $
44,293 23,717
22,019 $
25,966
17,780 $ 340,121 $
13,581 21,552
1,207,486 $ 628,388 $
19,085 9,573
501,507 $
26,007
164,013 $ 3,465,204 $
13,273 254,913
Number of Refunds
Refunds (Thousands)
1,811 $
6,358
1,194 $ 3,739 $
9,631 10,343
3,492 $ 1,391 $
14,653 7,758
1,242 $
5,349
928 $ 790 $
3,817 4,385
1,433 $ 1,677 $
8,869 14,235
1,459 $
4,442
1,057 $ 20,213 $
14,274 104,114
Number of Refunds
283 492 288 258 103 311 251 564 806 420 269 397 4,442
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 24
Revenue Collections Summary (Thousands)
Description
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
Corporate Tax Corporate Net Worth Tax Corporate Tax Assessments Corporate Income Tax Corporate Income Tax Refunds Business Occupation Tax Total Corporate Tax Individual Tax Individual Income Tax Returns Individual Inc. Tax Assessments
$
45,106 $
41,745 $
49,742 $
52,600 $
57,859
$
2,477 $
2,299 $
4,350 $
6,534 $
7,439
$ 1,134,889 $ 1,197,094 $ 1,369,703 $ 1,453,230 $ 1,864,856
$
(234,430) $
(260,813) $
(181,318) $
(309,196) $
(207,858)
$
23,856 $
23,973 $
28,793 $
29,777 $
28,439
$
971,898 $ 1,004,298 $ 1,271,270 $ 1,232,945 $ 1,750,735
$
877,287 $
884,613 $ 1,275,182 $ 1,371,715 $ 1,600,368
$
225,905 $
207,250 $
285,531 $
293,969 $
342,987
Individual Estimated Payments
$
904,133 $ 1,197,739 $
861,375 $
810,475 $
943,257
Individual Withholding
$ 11,126,493 $ 11,576,380 $ 11,780,320 $ 11,995,517 $ 13,091,155
Non-Resident Composite Inc. Tax $
311,161 $
310,710 $
387,402 $
328,215 $
495,098
Individual Income Tax Refunds
$ (2,531,560) $ (2,648,375) $ (2,502,435) $ (2,449,131) $ (2,361,932)
Fiduciary
$
64,274 $
115,464 $
89,562 $
57,381 $
111,226
Total Individual Tax
$ 10,977,693 $ 11,643,781 $ 12,176,937 $ 12,408,141 $ 14,222,159
Sales & Use Taxes
Sales and Use Taxes - Gross
$ 10,820,218 $ 11,545,262 $ 12,416,156 $ 12,447,478 $ 14,166,161
Local Distributions
$ (4,995,376) $ (5,537,812) $ (6,097,100) $ (6,190,833) $ (7,115,684)
Sales Tax Refunds/Adjustments $
(94,797) $
(68,917) $
(66,772) $
(93,137) $
(102,182)
Total Sales & Use Tax
$ 5,730,045 $ 5,938,533 $ 6,252,284 $ 6,163,509 $ 6,948,296
Other Taxes Estate Tax Property Tax Prepaid Motor Fuel Tax Motor Fuel Excise Tax Malt Beverage Excise Tax Liquor Excise Tax Wine Excise Tax Tobacco Taxes Motor Vehicle - Tag, Title, Fees
$
-$
-$
5$
-$
5
$
376 $
606 $
228 $
91 $
169
$
456 $
278 $
10 $
37 $
0
$ 1,740,507 $ 1,801,435 $ 1,837,944 $ 1,873,183 $ 1,781,682
$
88,529 $
86,871 $
86,537 $
89,451 $
86,815
$
64,975 $
67,297 $
69,902 $
73,754 $
92,643
$
39,934 $
41,528 $
42,330 $
44,433 $
48,415
$
220,774 $
224,910 $
223,363 $
225,531 $
242,897
$ 1,358,817 $ 1,325,832 $ 1,265,174 $ 1,052,235 $ 1,150,467
Total Other Taxes Business License Fees Liquor Licenses Liquor Pre-License Inves. Fees Tobacco License Fees Coin Operated Amusement Total Business License Fees
$ 3,514,368 $ 3,548,757 $ 3,525,493 $ 3,358,715 $ 3,403,092
$
3,823 $
3,958 $
4,022 $
3,979 $
4,219
$
152 $
145 $
158 $
145 $
145
$
162 $
166 $
184 $
167 $
311
$
-$
-$
-$
-$
-
$
4,137 $
4,269 $
4,364 $
4,291 $
4,674
25 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
Revenue Collections Summary (Thousands) Continued
Description
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
Earnings - General Government
Real Estate Transfer Tax
$
1$
-$
-$
0$
0
Out-of-State Contractors
$
4$
4$
7$
(0) $
4
Unclaimed Property Collections $ Public Service Commission Fees $
158,592 $ 1,022 $
177,637 $ 956 $
145,170 $ 1,047 $
143,893 $ 1,032 $
168,121 1,052
Total Earnings General Gov't
$
159,619 $
178,597 $
146,224 $
144,925 $
169,177
Other Fees
Fines & Assessments - Tobacco
$
219 $
151 $
195 $
169 $
167
Fines & Assessments - Alcohol
$
408 $
342 $
440 $
298 $
364
Fireworks Excise Tax Penalties & Interest - FiFa
$
1,240 $
1,464 $
1,313 $
1,633 $
2,722
$
72 $
2$
-$
-$
-
Penalties & Interest - Individual $
103,741 $
94,460 $
121,081 $
114,689 $
109,879
Penalties & Interest - Sales & Use $
34,013 $
43,386 $
38,835 $
36,344 $
37,311
Penalties & Interest - Corporate $
21,705 $
12,661 $
13,447 $
14,720 $
13,567
Penalties & Interest - Motor Fuel $
256 $
293 $
286 $
396 $
345
Penalties & Interest - Alcohol
$
42 $
50 $
73 $
75 $
193
Penalties & Interest - Cigarette
$
228 $
305 $
224 $
131 $
122
State Hotel / Motel Fees
$
171,864 $
174,454 $
179,984 $
152,391 $
138,963
For Hire Ground Transportation Fees
$
-$
-$
-$
-$
15,928
Unallocated Tax
$
4,516 $
6,123 $
959 $
7,210 $
10,325
Other - ST Distribution Admin Fee $
49,041 $
54,498 $
59,643 $
60,348 $
69,286
Total Other Fees Total Taxes Corporate Tax
$
387,345 $
388,189 $
416,480 $
388,404 $
399,172
$
971,898 $ 1,004,298 $ 1,271,270 $ 1,232,945 $ 1,750,735
Individual Tax
$ 10,977,693 $ 11,643,781 $ 12,176,937 $ 12,408,141 $ 14,222,159
Sales & Use Tax
$ 5,730,045 $ 5,938,533 $ 6,252,284 $ 6,163,509 $ 6,948,296
Other Taxes
$ 3,514,368 $ 3,548,757 $ 3,525,493 $ 3,358,715 $ 3,403,092
Total Taxes Total Funds and Other Fees
$ 21,194,004 $ 22,135,369 $ 23,225,984 $ 23,163,310 $ 26,324,281
Business License Fees
$
4,137 $
4,269 $
4,364 $
4,291 $
4,674
Earnings - General Government $
159,619 $
178,597 $
146,224 $
144,925 $
169,177
Other Fees
$
387,345 $
388,189 $
416,480 $
388,404 $
399,172
Total Funds and Other Fees
$
551,101 $
571,055 $
567,068 $
537,619 $
573,023
Total Revenue Collections
$ 21,745,105 $ 22,706,424 $ 23,793,052 $ 23,700,929 $ 26,897,304
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 26
CORPORATE INCOME TAX
Net Corporate Tax Collections and Returns
CY2017
CY2018
Corporate Tax Returns (Thousands)
278
305
Corporate Tax Net Collections (Millions)
$
1,001 $
1,091 $
Note: Figures represent returns processed in a particular year and do not relate to tax periods.
CY2019 359
1,328 $
CY2020 344
1,351 $
CY2021 337
1,997
27 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
CY2020 Corporation Income Tax Returns by Taxable Income Class
Taxable Income Class
Number of Returns
Percent of Returns
Georgia Net Taxable Income (i)
Georgia Corporation Income Tax Returns
$0 or Less
222,763
93.54%
$1 - $5,000
4,184
1.76% $
7,293,219
$5,000 - $10,000 $10,000 - $25,000 $25,000 - $50,000
1,646 2,690 2,019
0.69% $ 1.13% $ 0.85% $
12,012,369 43,994,924 72,601,877
$50,000 - $100,000
1,599
0.67% $
114,114,217
$100,000 - $250,000
1,360
0.57% $
212,259,956
$250,000 - $500,000 $500,000 - $1,000,000
700
0.29% $
245,581,350
488
0.20% $
344,602,897
Over $1,000,000
704
0.30% $
4,615,402,814
Total
238,153
Out of State Corporation Income Tax Returns
$0 or Less
46,905
100.00% $ 76.81%
5,667,863,623
$1 - $5,000
2,998
4.91% $
4,963,889
$5,000 - $10,000
1,070
1.75% $
7,824,043
$10,000 - $25,000 $25,000 - $50,000
1,629 1,353
2.67% $ 2.22% $
26,836,773 49,154,825
$50,000 - $100,000
1,393
2.28% $
100,414,636
$100,000 - $250,000 $250,000 - $500,000 $500,000 - $1,000,000
1,766 1,204
954
2.89% $ 1.97% $ 1.56% $
287,700,886 427,521,572 676,768,449
Over $1,000,000
1,798
2.94% $
14,617,713,390
Total
61,070
100.00% $
16,198,898,463
Total Corporation Income Tax Returns
$0 or Less
269,668
90.12%
$1 - $5,000
7,182
2.40% $
12,257,108
$5,000 - $10,000 $10,000 - $25,000 $25,000 - $50,000
2,716 4,319 3,372
0.91% $ 1.44% $ 1.13% $
19,836,412 70,831,697 121,756,702
$50,000 - $100,000
2,992
1.00% $
214,528,853
$100,000 - $250,000
3,126
1.04% $
499,960,842
$250,000 - $500,000 $500,000 - $1,000,000
1,904 1,442
0.64% $ 0.48% $
673,102,922 1,021,371,346
Over $1,000,000
2,502
0.84% $
19,233,116,204
Total
299,223
Note: (i) Report does not include income passed through to the shareholders.
100.00% $
21,866,762,086
Percent of Net Taxable Income
0.13% 0.21% 0.78% 1.28% 2.01% 3.74% 4.33% 6.08% 81.43% 100.00%
0.03% 0.05% 0.17% 0.30% 0.62% 1.78% 2.64% 4.18% 90.24% 100.00%
0.06% 0.09% 0.32% 0.56% 0.98% 2.29% 3.08% 4.67% 87.96% 100.00%
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 28
CY2021 Corporation Income Tax Returns by Taxable Income Class
Taxable Income Class
Number of Returns
Percent of Returns
Georgia Net Taxable Income (i)
Georgia Corporation Income Tax Returns
$0 or Less
229,774
93.79%
$1 - $5,000
4,003
1.63% $
7,070,087
$5,000 - $10,000 $10,000 - $25,000 $25,000 - $50,000
1,566 2,566 1,926
0.64% $ 1.05% $ 0.79% $
11,634,261 41,901,432 69,174,426
$50,000 - $100,000
1,545
0.63% $
110,123,808
$100,000 - $250,000
1,477
0.60% $
232,940,302
$250,000 - $500,000 $500,000 - $1,000,000
767
0.31% $
271,167,832
505
0.21% $
351,285,332
Over $1,000,000
863
0.35% $
5,988,301,663
Total
244,992
Out of State Corporation Income Tax Returns
$0 or Less
48,914
100.00% $ 76.32%
7,083,599,143
$1 - $5,000
3,044
4.75% $
5,064,453
$5,000 - $10,000
1,102
1.72% $
8,044,420
$10,000 - $25,000 $25,000 - $50,000
1,702 1,510
2.66% $ 2.36% $
28,267,132 54,313,966
$50,000 - $100,000
1,493
2.33% $
107,689,997
$100,000 - $250,000 $250,000 - $500,000 $500,000 - $1,000,000
1,951 1,315 1,018
3.04% $ 2.05% $ 1.59% $
314,430,189 468,543,851 720,892,522
Over $1,000,000
2,043
3.19% $
18,734,171,794
Total
64,092
100.00% $
20,441,418,324
Total Corporation Income Tax Returns
$0 or Less
278,688
90.17%
$1 - $5,000
7,047
2.28% $
12,134,540
$5,000 - $10,000 $10,000 - $25,000 $25,000 - $50,000
2,668 4,268 3,436
0.86% $ 1.38% $ 1.11% $
19,678,681 70,168,564 123,488,392
$50,000 - $100,000
3,038
0.98% $
217,813,805
$100,000 - $250,000
3,428
1.11% $
547,370,491
$250,000 - $500,000 $500,000 - $1,000,000
2,082 1,523
0.67% $ 0.49% $
739,711,683 1,072,177,854
Over $1,000,000
2,906
0.94% $
24,722,473,457
Total
309,084
Note: (i) Report does not include income passed through to the shareholders.
100.00% $
27,525,017,467
Percent of Net Taxable Income
0.10% 0.16% 0.59% 0.98% 1.55% 3.29% 3.83% 4.96% 84.54% 100.00%
0.02% 0.04% 0.14% 0.27% 0.53% 1.54% 2.29% 3.53% 91.65% 100.00%
0.04% 0.07% 0.25% 0.45% 0.79% 1.99% 2.69% 3.90% 89.82% 100.00%
29 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAX
Net Individual Income Tax Collections and Returns
Number of Individual Returns Processed (Thousands)
CY2017 4,506
CY2018 4,821
Net Individual Income Tax Collections (Millions)
$
11,297 $
11,876 $
Note: Figures represent returns processed in a particular year and do not relate to tax periods.
CY2019 4,980
12,147 $
CY2020 5,196
13,020 $
CY2021 5,287
15,189
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 30
Growth Trend of Individual Income Tax (Thousands)
CY2017
CY2018
CY2019
CY2020
CY2021
Number of Returns (i) Adjusted Gross Income (ii)
4,470
4,714
4,824
5,043
5,232
$ 214,063,094 $ 244,142,908 $ 255,711,513 $ 270,352,200 $ 299,011,183
Taxable Net Income
$ 169,114,690 $ 196,221,635 $ 216,456,139 $ 231,797,552 $ 261,227,626
Tax Liability (iii)
$ 9,408,133 $ 10,991,393 $ 12,207,474 $ 12,607,899 $ 14,261,566
Annual Numerical Increase/Decrease
Number of Returns (i)
Adjusted Gross Income (ii)
$
(90)
244
110
219
189
(6,629,080) $ 30,079,814 $ 11,568,605 $ 14,640,687 $ 28,658,983
Taxable Net Income Tax Liability (iii)
$ (6,648,009) $ 27,106,945 $ 20,234,504 $ 15,341,414 $ 29,430,074
$
(388,380) $ 1,583,260 $ 1,216,080 $
400,425 $ 1,653,667
Annual Percentage Increase/Decrease Number of Returns (i) Adjusted Gross Income (ii)
-1.97% -3.00%
5.46% 14.05%
2.33% 4.74%
4.54% 5.73%
3.74% 10.60%
Taxable Net Income
-3.78%
16.03%
10.31%
7.09%
12.70%
Tax Liability (iii)
-3.96%
16.83%
11.06%
3.28%
13.12%
Note: (i) Does not include amended returns. (ii) Georgia Adjusted Gross Income from returns filed by full-year resident only. (iii) Reflects 2020 tax liabilities processed in CY2021.
Georgia, Southeast, and United States Per Capita Personal Income (Dollars)
Georgia Southeast United States
CY2016 42,159 43,337 49,246
CY2017 44,145 45,198 51,640
CY2018 46,482 47,337 54,446
Note: All data gleaned from BEA website using the "Interactive" tab provided at http://www.bea.gov/itable
CY2019 48,236 49,159 56,490
CY2020 51,780 52,096 59,510
31 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
Comparative Trends in Georgia's Individual Income and State Income Tax Receipts
Total Individual Personal Income
Amount (Millions)
$
Change from Prior Year (%)
Individual Income Tax Receipts
Net Amount (Millions)
$
Change from Prior Year (%)
Income Elasticity Ratio (i)
Income Elasticity Ratio
CY2016
434,677 $ 5.67%
10,579 $ 5.73%
1.01
CY2017
460,403 $ 5.92%
11,297 $ 6.79%
1.15
CY2018
488,964 $ 6.20%
11,876 $ 5.13%
0.83
CY2019
512,138 $ 4.74%
12,147 $ 2.28%
0.48
CY2020
554,567 8.28%
13,020 7.19%
0.87
Notes: (i) Ratio of the percentage change in tax receipts to the percentage change in personal income. Measures the sensitivity of individual income tax revenue to changes in total individual personal income. A ratio of 1.0 would indicate an identical rate of change for income and tax yield.
Calendar Year 2021 Electronic Filing versus Paper Returns (Thousands)
Filing Type
Individual Income Tax
Withholding Tax
Corporate Tax
Sales and Use Tax
E-filing Paper returns Total
5,193 94
5,287
1,699 29
1,728
293
1,800
44
1
337
1,801
Note: Individual Income Tax includes amended returns. Figures represent returns processed in particular year and do not relate to tax periods.
Total Returns
8,985 168
9,153
Summary of Tax Returns Processed (Thousands)
Individual Income Tax Individual Amended Tax Withholding Corporate Tax Sales and Use Tax Total of all Tax Types
CY2017 4,460 46 1,521 278 1,361 7,665
CY2018 4,765 56 1,391 305 1,475 7,992
CY2019 4,906 74 1,333 359 1,541 8,213
CY2020 5,122 74 1,411 344 1,605 8,556
CY2021 5,217 70 1,728 337 1,801 9,153
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 32
Calendar Year 2021 Individual Income Tax by Income Class
Georgia AGI
Over Million Over 500,000 Over 100,000 Over 50,000 Over 30,000 Over 25,000 Over 20,000 Over 15,000 Over 14,000 Over 13,000 Over 12,000 Over 11,000 Over 10,000 Over 9,000 Over 8,000 Over 7,000 Over 6,000 Over 5,000 Over 4,000 Over 3,000 Over 2,000 Over 1,000 Under 1,000 NonRes/ Partial Totals
Number of Returns
Percent of Total Returns
Net Taxable Income
Percent of Net
Taxable Income
Average Net Taxable
Income (Dollars)
14,617
0.3% $ 39,333,493,210 15.1% $ 2,690,942 $
29,853
0.6% $ 18,355,169,029
7.0% $ 614,852 $
668,784 12.8% $ 101,266,100,248 38.8% $ 151,418 $
886,242 16.9% $ 49,043,590,861 18.8% $
55,339 $
849,596 16.2% $ 23,157,091,748
8.9% $
27,257 $
291,205
5.6% $
4,850,342,529
1.9% $
16,656 $
303,733
5.8% $ 3,678,041,613
1.4% $
12,109 $
317,104
6.1% $
2,381,808,556
0.9% $
7,511 $
64,688
1.2% $
307,126,848
0.1% $
4,748 $
60,840
1.2% $
262,954,901
0.1% $
4,322 $
62,681
1.2% $
228,048,919
0.1% $
3,638 $
65,424
1.3% $
180,836,335
0.1% $
2,764 $
63,279
1.2% $
127,369,007
0.0% $
2,013 $
57,221
1.1% $
85,315,142
0.0% $
1,491 $
57,728
1.1% $
47,810,353
0.0% $
828 $
57,380
1.1% $
10,740,354
0.0% $
187 $
55,566
1.1% $
621,534
0.0% $
11 $
55,412
1.1% $
239,662
0.0% $
4$
55,846
1.1% $
37,491
0.0% $
1$
56,482
1.1% $
10,622
0.0% $
0$
56,408
1.1% $
513
0.0% $
0$
55,864
1.1% $
-
0.0% $
-$
535,463 10.2% $
-
0.0% $
-$
Total Tax Liability
2,258,734,409 1,049,617,890 5,679,259,087 2,641,159,283 1,165,928,170
222,785,975 156,163,000
88,506,735 9,655,937 7,749,998 6,040,843 4,220,530 2,647,082 1,505,556 690,035 122,858 9,887 3,167 581 160 23 12 128
Returns with no
Net Taxable Income
Avgerage Tax
Liability (Dollars)
48 $ 154,528
59 $ 35,160
817 $ 8,492
2,578 $ 2,980
8,545 $ 1,372
4,405 $
765
7,632 $
514
22,392 $
279
9,451 $
149
9,834 $
127
13,074 $
96
12,657 $
65
14,712 $
42
17,861 $
26
17,637 $
12
29,727 $
2
54,986 $
0
55,062 $
0
55,807 $
0
56,461 $
0
56,403 $
0
55,864 $
0
535,463 $
0
510,238
9.8% $ 17,910,876,906
6.9% $
35,103 $
966,764,641
134,474 $ 1,895
5,231,654 100.0% $ 261,227,626,381 100.0% $
49,932 $ 14,261,565,987 1,175,949 $ 2,726
33 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
SALES AND USE TAX
Comparison of Sales Tax Collected and Distributed to Local Government (Millions) by Fiscal Year
Net State Collection Change from Prior Year (%) Local Distributions Change from Prior Year (%) Total Sales Tax Change from Prior Year (%)
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
$
5,730 $
5,939 $
6,252 $
6,164 $
6,948
4.62%
3.65%
5.27%
-1.42%
12.73%
$
4,995 $
5,538 $
6,097 $
6,191 $
7,116
2.13%
10.87%
10.09%
1.54%
14.94%
$
10,725 $
11,477 $
12,349 $
12,354 $
14,064
3.44%
7.01%
7.60%
0.04%
13.84%
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 34
Net Sales and Use Tax Collections by Month (Thousands)
Month July August September October November December January February March April May June Total
FY2017
FY2018
$
484,008 $
508,751 $
$
475,159 $
463,910 $
$
466,300 $
480,485 $
$
463,786 $
479,807 $
$
457,485 $
465,879 $
$
465,753 $
495,845 $
$
568,775 $
587,406 $
$
420,862 $
459,466 $
$
435,151 $
450,983 $
$
530,709 $
544,098 $
$
479,060 $
494,648 $
$
482,997 $
507,255 $
$
5,730,045 $
5,938,533 $
FY2019 523,812 $ 518,189 $ 514,125 $ 525,118 $ 488,716 $ 526,102 $ 599,022 $ 478,194 $ 468,461 $ 574,575 $ 508,309 $ 527,661 $ 6,252,284 $
FY2020 534,852 $ 535,581 $ 508,857 $ 522,896 $ 522,331 $ 526,262 $ 626,743 $ 469,413 $ 457,034 $ 492,142 $ 449,935 $ 517,464 $ 6,163,509 $
FY2021 585,991 593,646 319,212 574,888 515,776 574,525 690,510 545,859 532,661 712,637 657,688 644,902 6,948,296
Sales and Use Tax Revenues by Business Group (Thousands)
Accommodations Automotive Construction Food & Grocery General Merchandise Home Furnishings Manufacturing Miscellaneous Services Other Retail Other Services Utilities Wholesale Grand Total
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
$
307,790 $
330,594 $
362,879 $
294,899 $
230,779
$
333,186 $
351,633 $
390,483 $
388,207 $
471,186
$
113,346 $
109,774 $
117,558 $
131,255 $
132,017
$ 2,029,832 $ 2,284,531 $ 2,458,712 $ 2,455,059 $ 2,620,012
$ 1,684,404 $ 1,751,836 $ 1,841,736 $ 1,797,385 $ 2,065,966
$
841,787 $
912,600 $ 1,083,077 $ 1,049,458 $ 1,267,736
$
607,145 $
651,822 $
715,381 $
720,625 $
783,019
$ 1,272,287 $ 1,375,966 $ 1,397,338 $ 1,427,985 $ 1,649,182
$ 1,456,497 $ 1,568,420 $ 1,657,806 $ 1,833,769 $ 2,538,193
$
356,524 $
199,204 $
204,080 $
233,948 $
337,709
$
950,987 $
974,212 $ 1,052,377 $ 1,034,791 $ 1,029,990
$
946,794 $ 1,037,537 $ 1,178,789 $ 1,172,802 $ 1,255,777
$ 10,900,578 $ 11,548,129 $ 12,460,216 $ 12,540,183 $ 14,381,566
35 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
SERVICES
Taxable Values and Tax Rates, State of Georgia for General Property and Public Utilities (Thousands)
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
General Property (Net of Exemptions)
Personal Property
$ 35,559,253 $ 29,693,164 $ 33,282,015 $ 31,601,604 $ 31,632,066
Real Property
$ 271,392,675 $ 239,625,094 $ 314,961,622 $ 341,382,186 $ 359,933,409
Total
$ 306,951,928 $ 269,318,258 $ 348,243,637 $ 372,983,790 $ 391,565,475
Net Taxable Values
Public Utilities
$ 15,519,333 $ 14,976,658 $ 16,712,334 $ 18,153,021 $ 19,832,342
Grand Total
$ 322,471,261 $ 284,294,916 $ 364,955,971 $ 391,136,811 $ 411,397,817
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 36
Economic Indicators by County
Economic Indicators by County
County
Appling Atkinson Bacon Baker Baldwin Banks Barrow Bartow Ben Hill Berrien Bibb Bleckley Brantley Brooks Bryan Bulloch Burke Butts Calhoun Camden Candler Carroll Catoosa Charlton Chatham Chattahoochee Chattooga Cherokee Clarke Clay Clayton Clinch Cobb Coffee Colquitt Columbia Cook Coweta Crawford Crisp
2020 County Local Sales Tax Distribution
2020 Net Property and Utility Digest
Rank Thousands Rank
$ 12,433,343 78 $
972,512 60
$
2,054,981 136 $
145,543 147
$
3,931,105 116 $
234,701 130
$
839,516 153 $
132,027 149
$ 24,105,690 46 $ 1,021,481 58
$ 11,366,983 82 $
537,252 89
$ 42,631,974 32 $ 2,589,232 32
$ 68,985,926 22 $ 4,382,196 20
$
7,998,078 90 $
339,198 111
$
4,363,183 108 $
320,484 115
$ 101,563,018 12 $ 3,930,442 23
$
4,526,522 106 $
250,052 126
$
4,248,560 109 $
290,778 118
$
3,485,269 120 $
436,657 100
$ 21,818,788 49 $ 1,542,100 44
$ 41,663,850 33 $ 2,013,753 35
$ 15,211,310 62 $ 5,450,481 12
$ 14,434,704 65 $
663,366 79
$
1,378,621 147 $
115,303 151
$ 27,355,913 43 $ 1,602,923 40
$
4,188,639 111 $
254,635 125
$ 64,702,266 24 $ 3,150,004 24
$ 40,026,027 34 $ 1,601,684 41
$
3,682,263 117 $
288,489 119
$ 238,364,881 5 $ 14,185,509 5
$
2,925,428 127 $
54,018 159
$
9,167,510 87 $
418,174 105
$ 99,003,434 13 $ 11,990,718 7
$ 77,973,482 19 $ 4,096,643 21
$
718,731 154 $
97,179 154
$ 157,991,444 6 $ 7,554,262 10
$
2,016,495 137 $
234,152 131
$ 322,138,178 4 $ 36,988,682 2
$ 20,912,980 51 $
808,502 70
$ 20,165,947 52 $ 1,003,622 59
$ 86,645,363 16 $ 5,297,212 14
$
8,264,029 89 $
334,383 114
$ 87,576,185 15 $ 6,278,831 11
$
2,006,577 138 $
258,103 122
$ 13,478,127 71 $
573,817 85
County
Dade Dawson Decatur Dekalb Dodge Dooly Dougherty Douglas Early Echols Effingham Elbert Emanuel Evans Fannin Fayette Floyd Forsyth Franklin Fulton Gilmer Glascock Glynn Gordon Grady Greene Gwinnett Habersham Hall Hancock Haralson Harris Hart Heard Henry Houston Irwin Jackson Jasper Jeff Davis
2020 County Local Sales Tax Distribution
2020 Net Property and Utility Digest
Rank Thousands Rank
$ 7,744,932 92 $
407,613 106
$ 29,289,199 41 $ 1,451,498 45
$ 15,035,462 63 $
868,821 66
$ 356,630,185 3 $ 32,395,582 4
$ 7,264,468 95 $
397,240 107
$ 4,093,218 112 $
276,324 121
$ 51,703,506 27 $ 1,909,623 37
$ 85,293,853 18 $ 4,734,761 18
$ 4,061,350 114 $
451,337 98
$
513,890 159 $
107,307 152
$ 31,006,986 40 $ 1,969,084 36
$ 6,857,976 97 $
493,937 93
$ 9,624,701 83 $
435,637 101
$ 4,446,515 107 $
211,780 135
$ 22,215,437 48 $ 1,592,856 42
$ 86,151,931 17 $ 5,282,004 15
$ 51,840,476 26 $ 2,837,312 29
$ 136,347,644 8 $ 12,917,372 6
$ 12,568,863 76 $
666,681 76
$ 672,366,529 1 $ 72,349,240 1
$ 18,441,361 56 $ 1,381,163 50
$
632,212 155 $
87,643 156
$ 71,302,545 21 $ 5,005,687 16
$ 31,095,906 39 $ 1,559,479 43
$ 9,240,863 85 $
510,402 90
$ 15,974,962 60 $ 1,779,119 38
$ 364,624,417 2 $ 36,126,734 3
$ 22,885,082 47 $ 1,063,484 57
$ 121,197,040 11 $ 8,430,070 8
$ 1,660,025 143 $
345,168 109
$ 13,497,788 70 $
750,007 72
$ 9,328,119 84 $ 1,309,625 52
$ 12,520,839 77 $
939,243 61
$ 8,867,759 88 $
469,234 95
$ 136,891,203 7 $ 7,668,969 9
$ 90,248,438 14 $ 3,953,569 22
$ 2,171,547 134 $
216,112 134
$ 44,480,873 30 $ 2,692,214 30
$ 3,577,310 119 $
451,669 97
$ 7,250,047 96 $
319,368 116
37 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
Economic Indicators by County
Economic Indicators by County
County
Jefferson Jenkins Johnson Jones Lamar Lanier Laurens Lee Liberty Lincoln Long Lowndes Lumpkin Macon Madison Marion McDuffie McIntosh Meriwether Miller Mitchell Monroe Montgomery Morgan Murray Muscogee Newton Oconee Oglethorpe Paulding Peach Pickens Pierce Pike Polk Pulaski Putnam Quitman Rabun Randolph
2020 County Local Sales Tax Distribution
2020 Net Property and Utility Digest
Rank Thousands Rank
$
6,153,943 103 $
429,242 102
$
2,404,581 130 $
247,133 128
$
1,333,890 148 $
150,264 146
$
7,336,139 94 $
644,393 81
$
6,420,580 100 $
497,258 91
$
1,887,834 140 $
167,075 142
$ 28,020,281 42 $ 1,302,152 53
$ 13,372,263 73 $
881,143 65
$ 31,356,411 37 $ 1,266,717 54
$
2,316,004 131 $
247,063 129
$
2,282,259 132 $
299,316 117
$ 75,227,896 20 $ 2,879,508 27
$ 13,796,116 68 $
886,585 64
$
4,075,240 113 $
341,734 110
$
7,755,693 91 $
747,207 73
$
1,616,171 145 $
187,474 138
$ 11,580,628 81 $
552,135 87
$
3,998,959 115 $
462,707 96
$
6,240,342 102 $
541,060 88
$
1,848,713 141 $
177,845 139
$
7,351,552 93 $
572,567 86
$ 15,322,760 61 $ 1,418,047 47
$
2,261,109 133 $
166,360 143
$ 14,292,029 66 $
861,824 68
$ 13,296,046 74 $
858,632 69
$ 124,226,079 9 $ 5,433,399 13
$ 47,878,938 28 $ 2,847,147 28
$ 24,871,359 45 $ 2,142,605 34
$
2,735,372 128 $
421,958 104
$ 68,077,028 23 $ 4,685,503 19
$ 14,593,042 64 $
677,488 75
$ 18,652,568 55 $ 1,421,280 46
$
6,270,867 101 $
446,507 99
$
4,993,782 105 $
495,296 92
$ 18,844,075 54 $
935,593 62
$
3,095,110 123 $
222,191 133
$ 11,759,180 80 $ 1,342,960 51
$
549,022 157 $
73,515 157
$ 13,417,605 72 $ 1,689,779 39
$
2,081,710 135 $
175,830 140
County
Richmond Rockdale Schley Screven Seminole Spalding Stephens Stewart Sumter Talbot Taliaferro Tattnall Taylor Telfair Terrell Thomas Tift Toombs Towns Treutlen Troup Turner Twiggs Union Upson Walker Walton Ware Warren Washington Wayne Webster Wheeler White Whitfield Wilcox Wilkes Wilkinson Worth Total
2020 County Local Sales Tax Distribution
2020 Net Property and Utility Digest
Rank Thousands Rank
$ 123,993,731 10 $ 4,840,979 17
$ 55,824,666 25 $ 2,655,770 31
$ 1,163,496 150 $
106,865 153
$ 4,216,233 110 $
381,767 108
$ 3,114,539 122 $
255,528 123
$ 33,803,854 36 $ 1,391,033 49
$ 13,002,575 75 $
580,107 84
$ 1,023,775 152 $
175,066 141
$ 14,015,053 67 $
664,538 77
$ 1,695,087 142 $
201,850 137
$
526,204 158 $
57,741 158
$ 6,539,423 99 $
428,622 103
$ 2,989,246 124 $
231,638 132
$ 3,420,346 121 $
248,691 127
$ 2,964,644 126 $
278,688 120
$ 27,053,173 44 $ 1,400,671 48
$ 31,100,422 38 $
923,433 63
$ 17,027,568 59 $
663,649 78
$ 6,817,296 98 $
776,660 71
$ 1,267,909 149 $
116,278 150
$ 39,252,766 35 $ 2,147,203 33
$ 2,715,555 129 $
202,215 136
$ 1,966,772 139 $
254,876 124
$ 17,879,028 57 $ 1,140,039 56
$ 12,020,177 79 $
607,449 83
$ 19,512,435 53 $ 1,212,964 55
$ 46,838,822 29 $ 2,897,358 26
$ 21,053,858 50 $
730,974 74
$ 1,651,178 144 $
166,201 144
$ 9,196,702 86 $
626,404 82
$ 13,620,040 69 $
647,244 80
$
570,497 156 $
96,002 155
$ 1,128,904 151 $
142,418 148
$ 17,505,568 58 $
863,799 67
$ 43,515,286 31 $ 2,928,511 25
$ 1,543,754 146 $
154,634 145
$ 3,577,503 118 $
335,499 113
$ 2,964,824 125 $
336,453 112
$ 5,761,894 104 $
477,440 94
$ 5,514,718,754
$ 411,397,817
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 38
MOTOR VEHICLES
39 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
Top 10 Active Registrations for Georgia Specialty License Plates
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
University of Georgia
58,990
61,567
57,424
60,517
63,472
Wildlife
55,747
54,221
52,781
52,745
54,273
Bobwhite Quail
41,174
41,874
41,905
43,555
46,122
Educators
19,221
17,893
16,188
15,690
15,503
Wildlife Trout
13,298
13,324
11,989
11,983
13,098
Atlanta Falcons
11,566
13,211
12,305
12,750
12,954
Georgia Institute of Technology
10,224
11,356
11,046
11,962
12,023
Hummingbird
13,945
13,587
13,211
12,132
10,801
Marine Habitat
798
5,001
7,297
7,592
9,722
12,590
11,236
10,726
9,308
8,845
Breast Cancer Awareness Note: The data presented is for specialty plates legislated under Georgia code 40-2-86 only.
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 40
Motor Vehicle Registrations
Registrations Issued Tags Issued Titles Issued Insurance Notifications
FY2017 9,578,056 2,135,654 2,845,825 1,313,952
FY2018 9,740,847 2,128,434 2,839,254 1,292,096
FY2019 10,453,617
2,177,471 2,699,466 1,585,189
FY2020 9,921,284 2,414,786 2,784,722 1,183,234
FY2021 10,352,085
2,382,497 3,065,302
988,959
Number of Motor Vehicle Registrations Issued by Major Category
Passenger Cars Motorcycles Trucks Trailers Bus Other Total
FY2017 6,188,639
203,783 1,944,982 1,204,699
35,732 221
9,578,056
FY2018 6,279,580
203,639 1,977,924 1,243,511
35,965 228
9,740,847
FY2019 6,821,356
212,342 2,128,194 1,254,604
37,067 54
10,453,617
FY2020 6,394,217
203,890 2,048,320 1,238,445
36,375 37
9,921,284
FY2021 6,648,810
213,096 2,141,213 1,311,884
37,049 33
10,352,085
International Registration Plan (IRP) Registrations and Collections
Registrations
Total Number of Georgia Based IRP Vehicles
Collections
Registration Fees Collected in Georgia that Remained in Georgia
Registration Fees Collected by 58 Other IRP Jurisdictions Remitted to Georgia
Total IRP Collection for Georgia
FY2017 52,999
FY2018 53,910
FY2019 54,844
FY2020 53,948
FY2021 58,015
$ 18,254,637 $ 18,424,756 $ 18,433,625 $ 20,465,897 $ 22,948,560 $ 52,272,919 $ 53,089,333 $ 57,207,136 $ 54,631,829 $ 61,613,485 $ 70,527,557 $ 71,514,088 $ 75,640,761 $ 75,097,726 $ 84,562,045
41 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
ALCOHOL AND
TOBACCO
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 42
Tax and Fee Collections by Alcohol and Tobacco Division (Thousands)
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
Delinquent Tax Collections (i)
$
Fee Collections (i)
$
1,323 $ 248 $
1,334 $ 174 $
1,438 $ 65 $
Executive Orders/ Admin Penalties/Fines
$
591 $
527 $
582 $
Total Collections and Fines Paid $
2,162 $
2,035 $
2,085 $
Notes: (i)Tax Collections and Fee Collections are from ATD Enforcement Only for period of July 1, 2019 June 30, 2020 (FY2020)
FY2020 1,195 $ 90 $ 458 $ 1,743 $
FY2021 1,187 84 457 1,728
Revenue from Selective Excise Taxes (Thousands)
Beer Tobacco Liquor Wine Selective Excise Total
FY2017
$
89,215 $
$
220,494 $
$
65,020 $
$
39,937 $
$
414,666 $
FY2018 86,431 225,339 $ 67,341 $ 41,567 $ 420,678 $
FY2019 $ 86 ,947 $
224,339 $ 69,966 $ 42,412 $
336,717 $
FY2020 89,540 $ 225,081 $ 73,855 $ 44,442 $ 432,918 $
FY2021 92,700 243,359 87,012 48,419 471,490
Revenue from Business License Fees (Thousands)
Beer Dealers Cigar and Cigarette Dealers Liquor Dealers Wine Dealers Business Licenses Total
FY2017
$
181 $
$
244 $
$
1,689 $
$
241 $
$
2,355 $
FY2018 188 $ 249 $
1,724 $ 253 $
2,414 $
FY2019 201 $ 258 $
1,842 $ 251 $
2,552 $
FY2020 203 $ 365 $
1,859 $ 261 $
2,688 $
FY2021 221 512
1,905 281
2,919
43 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
Alcohol and Tobacco Division Performance Figures
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
Number of Alcohol Agents
41
39
38
32
35
Alcohol Inspections Alcohol Investigations (i) Alcohol Citations
5,726 1,087
885
6,677 729 930
6,565 216 935
5,122 201 446
5,883 267 655
Underage Alcohol Investigations Underage Alcohol Citations Liquor License Investigaions (i) Still Seizures Tobacco Inspections
3,243 256
1,115 1
5,428
3,272 196 729 3
5,787
3,826 286 216 2
5,237
3,150 174 201 3
4,278
3,923 417 267 1
5,370
Tobacco Investigations
28
31
20
17
47
Tobacco Citations Underage Tobacco Investigations
360 3,613
426 3,897
455 4,713
286 3,159
410 3,108
Game Inspections
-
-
N/A
N/A
N/A
Felony Arrests
10
15
7
3
1
Misdemeanor Arrests
234
179
276
182
314
Notes: (i) Alcohol Investigations & Liquor License Investigations are the same thing. The number reported just includes those investigations handled by the Enforcement side which generally includes all liquor package stress and upper tier businesses.
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 44
SPECIAL
INVESTIGATIONS
Office of Special Investigations Performance Figures
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
Dyed Fuel Inspections
Dyed Fuel Violations Amount of Fraudulent Return Payments Prevented (i) Tax Returns Reviewed Cases Investigated by Agents (i) Auto Crimes Title Fraud Cases Investigated Salvage Vehicle Inspections
Inspections Completed State-Wide
10,664 35
$ 171,425,186 4,605,272 276 275
22,695
4,916 24
$ 322,706,020 4,770,866 197 247
23,060
3,447 21
$ 146,672,787 $ 4,871,086 128 401
17,271
1,540 3
97,431,510 4,278,440 153 548
17,813
3,051 17
$93,981,538 4,532,626 41 1,365
20,211
Percentage of Private Inspector Reports Reviewed
4.35%
7.34%
8.43%
7.27%
25.30%
Percentage of Private Inspector Completed Inspections Visually Inspected/Reviewed
1.21%
6.26%
8.93%
21.49%
16.51%
Percentage of Compliant Contractor Salvage Vehicle Inspectors
92.00%
98.67%
99.60%
99.51%
Note: (i) FY2020 figures are revised to show the actual amount of fraudulent return payments prevented and the number of cases investigated by agents.
98.77%
45 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
AUDITS AND COMPLIANCE
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 46
Tax Compliance Performance Figures
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
Number of Telephone Calls Seeking Assistance in the 11 Regional Offices (i)(ii)
Number of Walk-in Taxpayers Seeking Assistance in the 11 Regional Offices (ii)
Audits
148,526 20,354
143,676 21,203
152,457 22,455
151,210 20,287
136,485 5,407
Number of Audits Completed
93,892
103,031
113,702
87,850
75,405
Percentage of Audits Found to be in Compliance
34.00%
36.00%
42.00%
40.00%
36.00%
Average Number of Hours per Audit by Tax Type
Sales and Use Tax
48
57
55
58
54
Individual Income Tax
1
1
1
1
1
Withholding Tax
Miscellaneous Taxes including IFTA, IRP, Tobacco, Alcohol, Unclaimed Property
Auditor Collections
3
2
10
5
9
26
40
45
39
47
Total In-State
$ 59,514,834.00 $ 134,123,876.00 $ 118,780,300.59 $ 67,636,958.59 $ 169,387,541.01
Total Out-of-State Revenue Agent Collections Total Revenue Agent (ii) Average Collections
$ 88,993,034.00 $ 102,734,945.00 $ 151,589,492.60 $ 83,188,601.74 $ 164,827,138.63 $ 571,165,133.00 $ 577,124,520.21 $ 644,513,035.88 $ 684,210,124.07 $ 611,943,431.31
Per In-State Auditor
$
888,281.00 $ 2,001,849.00 $ 1,605,139.20 $
966,242.27 $ 2,385,740.01
Per Out-of-State Auditor
$ 2,472,029.00 $ 2,776,620.00 $ 3,697,304.70 $ 2,079,715.04 $ 4,120,678.47
Per Field Revenue Agent
$ 3,461,606.00 $ 3,497,724.36 $ 5,370,941.97 $ 4,791,694.10 $ 3,537,244.75
Note: (i) FY2020 includes calls through InContact, where Compliance assisted the Taxpayer Services Division. (ii) FY2020 figures are revised to show actual numbers.
47 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
TAXPAYER SERVICES AND
PROCESSING
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 48
Taxpayer Services and Processing Performance Figures
Measure
Taxpayer Services
Number of in-bound calls
Number of calls answered
Percentage of in-bound calls answered
Percentage of in-bound calls abandoned
Average call wait time (in seconds)
Average number of calls answered per customer service representative
Number of taxpayer workshops provided
Total number of taxpayer workshop attendees
Processing Center
Total returns processed
Total returns processed by tax type Withholding
Total returns processed by tax type Corporate
Total returns processed by tax type Sales
Total returns processed by tax type Individual
Percentage of individual tax returns filed electronically
Percentage of withholding tax returns filed electronically
Percentage of corporate tax returns filed electroncially
Percentage of sales tax returns filed electronically
Percentage of total tax returns filed electronically
Average time to process a return (days)
Average time to process an electronic filing - individual (days)
Average time to process a paper return - individual (days)
FY2017
1,076,225 797,923 74.00% 25.68% 360 14,189 21 209
8,116,274 1,563,067
288,429 1,349,188 4,543,121
86.46% 90.44% 77.24% 97.05% 88.26% 11.01
1.27 20.75
FY2018
966,307 614,977
64.00% 36.00% 1,111 13,666
14 236
8,298,369 1,417,296
271,304 1,479,053 4,780,718
87.68% 92.89% 84.40% 97.15% 89.92% 34.77
2.76
66.78
FY2019
876,341 618,283
70.55% 29.45% 1,260 13,616
15 325
8,555,671 1,338,904
347,140 1,500,004 5,026,944
85.32% 98.44% 77.63% 99.85% 89.77% 22.86
4.91 40.81
FY2020
665,747 638,437
95.90% 4.10% 89
10,134 28 542
8,030,005 1,365,223
337,926 1,555,983 4,770,873
90.67% 97.51% 81.81% 99.84% 92.46% 16.90
3.75 30.06
FY2021
683,989 595,270
87.02% 12.97%
823 9,301
20 516
9,651,630 1,715,324
345,513 1,729,237 5,861,556
98.11% 97.00% 85.46% 99.94% 97.79%
7.78 2.16 13.41
49 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
Tax Credit Summaries
Note: A return is required to be filed electronically if the return generates, allocates, claims, utilizes, or includes in any manner a Series 100 credit.
Qualified Subchapter S Subsidiary (QSSS) Credit Instructions. In addition to filing the net worth tax return, the QSSS should complete Schedule 10 if the QSSS generates credits or has credits assigned, allocated, or transferred to it. Also, Schedule 11 should be used to transfer the credit to the parent S Corporation and Schedule 12 should be completed if applicable. This is necessary so that the returns can be processed and the credits flow to the proper taxpayer.
Disregarded Single Member LLC Credit Instructions. If the taxpayer owns or is owned by a disregarded single member LLC, the single member LLC should be disregarded for filing purposes. All credits should be claimed on the owner's return. All tax credit forms should be filed in the name of the single member LLC but included with the owner's return. This is necessary so that the returns can be processed and the credits flow to the proper taxpayer.
Series 100 Credits
102 Employer s Credit for Approved Employee Retraining. The retraining tax credit allows employers to claim certain costs of retraining employees to use new equipment new technology, or new operating systems. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, approved retraining shall not include any retraining on commercially, mass produced software packages for word processing, database management, presentations, spreadsheets, e-mail, personal information management, or computer operating systems except a retraining tax credit shall be allowable for those providing support or training on such software. The credit is calculated at 50% of the direct costs of retraining full-time employees, up to $500 per employee per approved retraining program per year. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, there is a cap of $1,250 per year per full-time employee who has successfully completed more than one approved retraining program. The credit may be utilized up to 50% of the taxpayer's total state income tax liability for a tax year. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, the credit must be claimed within 1 year instead of the normal 3 year statute of limitation period. Credits claimed but not used may be carried forward for 10 years. For a copy of the Retraining Tax Credit Procedures Guide, contact the Technical College System of Georgia. This credit should be claimed on Form IT-RC, with Program Completion forms signed by Technical College System of Georgia personnel attached. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.5.
103 Employer s Jobs Tax Credit. This credit provides for a statewide job tax credit for any business or headquarters of any such business engaged in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, processing, telecommunications, broadcasting, tourism or research and development industries, but does not include retail businesses. If other requirements are met, job tax credits are available to businesses of any nature, including retail businesses, in counties recognized and designated as the 40 least developed counties.
Tier Designation Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 4
County Rankings 1 through 71
72 through 106 107 through 141 142 through 159
New Jobs Created 5 or more* 10 or more 15 or more 25 or more
Credit Amount $3,500 $2,500 $1,250 $750
Credits similar to the credits available in Tier 1 counties are potentially available to companies in certain less developed census tracts in the metropolitan areas of the state. Note that the average wage for each new job must be above the average wage of the county that has the lowest average wage of any county in the state. Also employers must make health insurance available to employees filling the new full-time jobs, Employers are not, however, required to pay all or part of the cost of such insurance unless this benefit is provided to existing employees. For taxpayers that initially claimed this credit for any taxable year beginning before January 1, 2009, credits are allowed for new full-time employee jobs for five years in years two through six after the creation of the jobs. In Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties, the total credit amount may offset up to 100% of a taxpayer's state income tax liability for a taxable year. In Tier 3 and Tier 4 counties, the total credit amount may offset up to 50% of a taxpayer's state income
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 50
tax liability for a taxable year. In Tier 1 counties and less developed census tracts only, credits may also be taken against a company's income tax withholding. To claim the credit against withholding, a business must file Form IT-WH as provided in the job tax credit regulation or as instructed by the Commissioner. A credit claimed but not used in any taxable year may be carried forward for 10 years from the close of the taxable year in which the qualified jobs were established. The measurement of the new full-time jobs and maintained jobs is based on average monthly employment. Georgia counties are re-ranked annually based on updated statistics. This credit should be claimed on Form IT-CA. An additional $500 per job is allowed for a business locating within a county that belongs to a Joint Development Authority per O.C.G.A. 36-62-5.1. For taxpayers that create a new year one under DCA regulations for any taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2009 the following apply:
1. The definition of a business enterprise now also includes a business or headquarters of a business that provides services for the elderly and persons with disabilities (only for the jobs credit provided pursuant to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40).
2. The credit may be claimed beginning with the year the job is created as opposed to the year after the job is created.
3. The credit may be claimed against withholding tax for a business enterprise engaged in a competitive project (as certified by the Department of Economic Development) which is located in a tier 2, 3, or 4 county.
4. The additional new full-time jobs created in the 4 years after the initial year shall be eligible for the credit.
5. The credit must be claimed within 1 year instead of the normal 3 year statute of limitation period.
*For a business enterprise that creates a new year one under DCA regulations for any taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2012, in tier 1 counties, the business enterprise must increase employment by 2 or more new full-time jobs for the taxable year to be eligible for the credit. See the Job Tax Credit law (O.C.G.A. 48-7-40 and 48-7-40.1) and regulations for further information or refer to the Department of Community Affairs website.
For taxable years beginning in 2020 and 2021, taxpayers that claimed the Jobs tax credit in a taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2019 and before December 31, 2019, have the option to utilize the number of new full-time jobs that the taxpayer claimed in the taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2019 and before December 31, 2019; or calculate the number of new full-time jobs based on the number of full-time jobs created and maintained in that respective tax year.
104 Employer s Credit for Purchasing Child Care Property. Employers who purchase qualified child care property will receive a credit totaling 100% of the cost of such property. The credit is claimed at the rate of 10% a year for 10 years. Any unused credit may be carried forward for three years and the credit is limited to 50% of the employer's Georgia income tax liability for the tax year. Recapture provisions apply if the property is transferred or committed to a use other than child care within 14 years after the property is placed in service. This credit should be claimed on Form IT-CCC100. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.6.
105 Employer s Credit for Providing or Sponsoring Child Care for Employees. Employers who provide or sponsor child care for employees are eligible for a tax credit of up to 75% of the employers' direct costs. The credit may not exceed 50% of the taxpayer's total state income tax liability for the taxable year. Any credit claimed but not used in any taxable year may be carried forward for five years from the close of the taxable year in which the cost of the operation was incurred. This credit should be claimed on Form IT-CCC75. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.6.
106 Manufacturer s Investment Tax Credit. Based on the same Tier Ranking as the Job Tax Credit program. It allows taxpayer that has operated an existing manufacturing or telecommunications facility in the state for the previous three years to obtain a credit against income tax liability. The credit is calculated on expenses directly related to manufacturing or to providing telecommunications services. Taxpayers must apply (use Form IT-APP) and receive approval before claiming the credit on the appropriate tax return. A taxpayer may not claim the job tax credit or the optional investment tax credit when claiming this credit for the same project. Companies must invest a minimum of $50,000 per project/location during the tax year in order to claim the credit.
Tier Location
Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 or 4
Tax Credit
5% 3% 1%
Activities 8% 5% 3%
For a taxpayer with a manufacturing or telecommunications facility in a rural county located in a tier 1 county or tier 2 county that has purchased or acquired qualified investment property in a taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2020 (which is then claimed on an income tax return in the taxable year after the purchased or acquired taxable year), the excess investment tax credit
51 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
may be used to offset withholding as provided in the investment tax credit regulation. The taxpayer must receive preapproval as provided in DOR's regulation to use the excess credit against withholding. A taxpayer that has investment tax credit carry forward for qualified investment property that was purchased or acquired in a taxable year beginning before January 1, 2020, may request pre-approval to use such investment tax credit carry forward against withholding tax if certain requirements are met; this provision is repealed on December 31, 2024. The taxpayer must receive preapproval as provided in DOR's regulation to use the credit carry forward against withholding. The total amount of tax credits preapproved to be used against withholding tax for taxpayers in rural counties located in tier 1 and tier 2 counties and for taxpayers to use investment tax credit carry forward against withholding together shall not exceed $1 million per taxpayer per calendar year and $10 million for all taxpayers per calendar year.
This credit should be claimed on Form IT-IC and accompanied by the approved Form IT-APP. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.2, 40.3, and 40.4.
107 Optional Investment Tax Credit. Taxpayers qualifying for the investment tax credit may choose an optional investment tax credit with the following threshold criteria:
Designated Area Tier 1 Tier 2
Tier 3 or 4
Minimum Investment $ 5 Million $10 Million $20 Million
Tax Credit 10% 8% 6%
Taxpayers must apply (use Form OIT-APP) and receive approval before they claim the credit on their returns. The credit may be claimed for 10 years, provided the qualifying property remains in service throughout that period. A taxpayer must choose either the regular or optional investment tax credit. Once this election is made, it is irrevocable. The optional investment tax credit is calculated based upon a three-year tax liability average. The annual credits are then determined using this base year average. The credit available to the taxpayer in any given year is the lesser of the following amounts:
1. 90% of the excess of the tax of the applicable year determined without regard to any credits over the base year average; or
2. The excess of the aggregate amount of the credit allowed over the sum of the amounts of credit already used in the years following the base year.
The credit must be claimed on Form IT-OIC. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.7, 40.8, and 40.9.
108 Qualified Transportation Credit. This is a credit of $25 per employee for any "qualified transportation fringe benefit" provided by an employer to an employee as described in Section 132(f) of the IRC of 1986. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-729.3.This credit was repealed on December 31, 2018 so only carryover can be used.
109 Low Income Housing Credit. This is a credit against Georgia income taxes for taxpayers owning developments receiving the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit that are placed in service on or after January 1, 2001. Credit must be claimed on Form ITHC and accompanied with Federal Form K-1 from the pro- viding entity and a schedule of the building allocation. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.6.
110 Business Enterprise Vehicle Credit. This credit is for a business enterprise for the purchase of a mo- tor vehicle used exclusively to provide transportation for employees. In order to qualify, a business enterprise must certify that each vehicle carries an average daily ridership of not less than four employees for an entire taxable year. This credit cannot be claimed if the low and zero emission vehicle credit was claimed at the time the vehicle was purchased. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-740.22.
112 Research Tax Credit. A tax credit is allowed for research expenses for research conducted within Georgia for any business or headquarters of any such business engaged in manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution, processing, telecommunications, tourism, broadcasting or research and development industries. The credit shall be 10% of the additional research expense over the "base amount," provided that the business enterprise for the same taxable year claims and is allowed a research credit under Section 41 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, the base amount calculation is based on Georgia gross receipts instead of Georgia taxable net income. (Note that for tax years beginning before January 1, 2009, the base amount must contain positive Georgia taxable net income for all years.) The credit may not exceed 50% of the business' Georgia net income tax liability after all other credits have been applied in any one year. Any unused credit may be carried forward 10 years. Excess research tax credit earned in taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2012, may be used to offset withholding as provided in the research tax credit regulation. This credit should be claimed on Form IT-RD. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.12.
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 52
113 Headquarters Tax Credit. Companies establishing their headquarters or relocating their headquarters to Georgia prior to January 1, 2009 may be entitled to a tax credit if the following criteria are met: 1) At least fifty (50) headquarters jobs are created; and 2) within one year of the first hire, $1 million is spent in construction, renovation, leasing, or other cost related to such establishment or reallocation. Headquarters is defined as the principal central administrative offices of a company or a subsidiary of the company. The credit is available for establishing new full-time jobs. To qualify, each job must pay a salary which is a stated percentage of the average county wage where the job is located: Tier 1 counties at least 100%; Tier 2 counties at least 105%; Tier 3 counties at least 110%; and Tier 4 counties at least 115%. The company has the ability to claim the credit in years one through five for jobs created in year one and may continue to claim newly created jobs through year seven and claim the credit on each of those jobs for five years. The credit is equal to $2,500 annually per new full-time job meeting the wage requirement or $5,000 if the average wage of all new qualifying fulltime jobs is 200% or more of the average county wage where new jobs are located. The credit may be used to offset 100 percent of the taxpayers Georgia income tax liability in the taxable year. Where the amount of such credit exceeds the taxpayer's tax liability in a taxable year, the excess may be taken as a credit against such taxpayer's quarterly or monthly withholding tax. To claim the credit against withholding, a business must file Form IT-WH as provided in the headquarters tax credit regulation or as instructed by the Commissioner. This credit should be applied for and claimed on Form ITHQ. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.17.
114 Port Activity Tax Credit (Use 114J for Port Activity Job Tax Credit and 114M for Port Activity Investment Tax Credit). For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2010, businesses or the headquarters of any such businesses engaged in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, processing, telecommunications, broadcasting, tourism, or research and development that have increased shipments out of Georgia ports during the previous 12-month period by more than 10% over their 1997 base year port traffic, or by more than 10% over 75 net tons five containers or ten 20- foot equivalent units (TEU's) during the previous 12-month period are qualified for increased job tax credits or investment tax credits. NOTE: Base year port traffic must be at least 75 net tons, five containers, or 10 TEU's. If not, the percentage increase in port traffic will be calculated using 75 net tons, five containers, or 10 TEU's as the base. Companies must meet Business Expansion and Support Act (BEST) criteria for the county in which they are located. The tax credit amounts are as follows for all Tiers: An additional job tax credit of $1,250 per job; investment tax credit of 5%; or optional investment tax credit of 10%. Companies that create 400 or more new jobs, invest $20 million or more in new and expanded facilities, and increase their port traffic by more than 20% above their base year port traffic may take both job tax credits and investment tax credits. The credit is claimed by filing the appropriate form for the applicable credit (job tax: Form IT-CA; investment tax: Form IT-IC or optional: Form IT-OIC) with the tax return and providing a statement with port numbers to verify the increase in port traffic. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.15. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2010, the following changes apply:
1. "Base year port traffic" means the amount of imports and exports during the second preceding 12 month pe- riod. For example, if the taxpayer is trying to claim the credit for 2010, they would compare 2009 to 2008 and if the increase is more than 10% they would qualify. NOTE: Base year port traffic must be at least 75 net tons, five containers, or 10 TEU's. If not, the percentage increase in port traffic will be calculated using 75 net tons, five containers, or 10 TEU's as the base.
2. "Port traffic" means the amount of imports and exports.
115 Bank Tax Credit. All financial institutions that conduct business or own property in Georgia are required to file a Georgia Financial Institutions Business Occupation Tax Return, Form 900. Effective on or after January 1, 2001, a depository financial institution with a Sub S election can pass through the credit to its shareholders on a pro rata basis. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.7.
116 Low Emission Vehicle Credit. This is a credit, the lesser of 10% of the cost of the vehicle or $2,500, for the purchase or lease of a new low emission vehicle. Also there is a credit for the conversion of a standard vehicle to a low emission vehicle which is equal to 10% of the cost of conversion, not to exceed $2,500 per converted vehicle. Certification approved by the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources must be included with the return for any credit claimed under this provision. A statement from the vehicle manufacturer is not acceptable. A low emission vehicle is defined as an "alternative fuel" vehicle and does not include any gasoline powered vehicles (i.e. hybrids). A "low speed vehicle" does not qualify for this credit. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7- 40.16. The low emission vehicle tax credit was repealed and cannot be claimed for vehicles purchased or leased on or after July 1, 2015.
117 Zero Emission Vehicle Credit. This is a credit, the lesser of 20% of the cost of the vehicle or $5,000, for the purchase or lease of a new zero emission vehicle. Also there is a credit for the conversion of a standard vehicle to a zero emission vehicle which is equal to 10% of the cost of conversion, not to exceed $2,500 per converted vehicle. Certification approved by the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources must be included with the return for any credit claimed under this provision. A statement from the vehicle manufacturer is not acceptable. A zero emission vehicle is a motor vehicle which has zero tailpipe and evaporative emissions as defined under rules and regulations of the Board of Natural Resources and includes an electric vehicle whose drive train is powered solely by electricity, provided the electricity is not generated by an on-board
53 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
combustion device. A "low speed vehicle" does not qualify for this credit. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.16. The zero emission vehicle tax credit was repealed and cannot be claimed for vehicles purchased or leased on or after July 1, 2015.
118 New Facilities Jobs Credit. For business enterprises who first qualified in a taxable year beginning before January 1, 2009, $450 million in qualified investment property must be purchased for the project within a six-year period. The manufacturer must also create at a minimum 1,800 new jobs within a six-year period and can receive credit for up to a maximum of 3,300 jobs. For business enterprises who first qualify in a taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2009; the definition of business enterprise is any enterprise or organization which is reg- istered and authorized to use the federal employment verification system known as "EVerify" or any successor federal employment verification system and is engaged in or carrying on any business activities within this state. Retail businesses are not included in the definition of a business enterprise. The business enterprise must meet the job creation requirement and either the qualified investment requirement, $450 million qualified investment property, or the payroll requirement, $150 million in total annual of Georgia W-2 reported payroll within the six- year period. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2012, the job creation requirement is extended if certain amounts of qualified investment property are purchased. After an affirmative review of their application by a panel, the business enterprise is rewarded with the new facilities job tax credit. The credit is $5,250 per job created. The credit offsets income tax liability and any excess credit may be used to offset withholding taxes. There is a 10-year carryforward of any unused tax credit. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.24.
119 Electric Vehicle Charger Credit. This is a credit for a business enterprise for the purchase of an electric vehicle charger located in the State of Georgia. The credit is the lesser of 10% of the cost of the charger or $2,500. For more information refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.16.
120 New Manufacturing Facilities Property Credit. This is an incentive for a manufacturer who has operated a manufacturing facility in this state for at least 3 years and who spends $800 million on a new manufacturing facility in this state. There is also the requirement that the number of full-time employees equal or exceed 1,800. However, these jobs do not have to be new jobs to Georgia. An application is filed which a panel must approve. The benefit awarded to a manufacturer is a credit against taxes equal to 6 percent of the cost of all qualified investment property purchased or acquired. The total credit allowed is $50 million. The credit offsets income tax liability and any excess may be used to offset withholding taxes. There is a 15-year carry forward of any unused tax credit. There are different provisions for certain high-impact aerospace defense projects. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.25.
121 Historic Rehabilitation Credit For Historic Homes. A credit will be available for the certified rehabilitation of a historic home. Standards set by the Department of Community Affairs must be met. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, a credit not to exceed $100,000 for a historic home will be available. 2022 is the last year of the credit and historic homes completed on or after January 1, 2022 require preapproval. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48- 7-29.8 and the regulation or the Department of Community Affairs website.
122 Film Tax Credit (use code 133 if the credit is for a Qualified Interactive Entertainment Production Company). Production companies which have at least $500,000 of qualified expenditures in a state certified production may claim this credit. Certification must be approved through the Georgia Department of Economic Development (DECD). The credit is equal to 20 percent of the base investment in the state, with an additional 10 percent for including a qualified Georgia promotion in the state certified production. There are special calculation provisions for production companies whose average annual total production expenditures in this state exceeded $30 million for 2002, 2003 and 2004. This credit may be claimed against 100 percent of the production company's income tax liability, while any excess may be used to offset the production company's withholding taxes. To claim the credit against withholding, the production company must file Form IT-WH as provided in the film tax credit regulation or as instructed by the Commissioner. The production company also has the option of selling the tax credit to a Georgia taxpayer. For projects certified by DECD on or after January 1, 2021, that exceed $2.5 million in credit, the production company must apply and receive an audit under O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.26 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.45 before the credit is claimed or utilized in any manner. For projects certified by DECD on or after January 1, 2022 that exceed $1.25 million in credit, the production company must apply and receive an audit under O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.26 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.45 before the credit is claimed or utilized in any manner. For projects certified by DECD on or after January 1, 2023, the production company must apply and receive an audit under O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.26 and Revenue Regulation 560-7- 8-.45 before the credit is claimed or utilized in any manner. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.26.
124 Land Conservation Credit. This provides for an income tax credit for the qualified donation of real property that qualifies as conservation land. Property donated to increase building density levels or property that will be used, or is associated with the playing of golf shall not be eligible. Taxpayers will be able to claim a credit against their state income tax liability not exceeding 25 percent of the fair market value of the property, or 25 percent of the difference between the fair market value and the amount paid to the donor if the donation is effected by a sale for less than fair market value, up to a maximum credit of $250,000 per individual, and 500,000 per corporation, and $500,000 per partnership. However, the partners of the partnership are subject to the per individual and per corporation limits. The amount of the credit used in any one year may not exceed the taxpayer's income tax
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 54
liability for that taxable year. Any unused portion of the credit may be carried forward for ten succeeding years. The Department of Natural Resources will certify that such donated property is suitable for conservation purposes. Please note that the Department of Natural Resources cannot accept new applications after December 31, 2021. A copy of this certificate must be filed with the taxpayer's tax return in order to claim the credit. This credit should be claimed on Form IT-CONSV. The taxpayer beginning January 1, 2012, has the option of selling the credit to a Georgia Taxpayer. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.12 and Regulation 560-7-8-.50. For donations in taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2013, to claim the credit Form IT-CONSV, the DNR certification, the State Property Commission's determination, and the appraisal must be attached to the income tax return; and the taxpayer must add back to Georgia taxable income the amount of any federal charitable contribution related to the Georgia conservation credit. For donations made on or after January 1, 2016 the aggregate amount of tax credits shall not exceed $30 million per calendar year and the taxpayer must request preapproval.
125 Qualified Education Expense Credit. This provides a tax credit for qualified educational expenses. The credit is allowed on a first come, first served basis. The aggregate amount of the tax credit allowed to all taxpayers cannot exceed $100 million per tax year. The taxpayer must add back to Georgia taxable income that part of any federal charitable contribution deduction taken on a federal return for which a credit is allowed. Taxpayers must request preapproval to claim this credit on Form IT-QEE-TP1. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.16 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.47.
126 Seed-Capital Fund Credit. This provides tax credits for certain qualified investments made on or after July 1, 2008. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.27 and 48-7-40.28.
128 Wood Residuals Credit. This provides a tax credit for transporting or diverting wood residuals to a renew- able biomass qualified facility on or after July 1, 2008. The aggregate amount of tax credits allowed for both the clean energy property tax credit and the wood residuals tax credit is $2.5 million for calendar years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011; and $5 million for calendar years 2012, 2013, and 2014. Taxpayers must request preapproval to claim this credit on Form IT-WR-AP. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.14.
129 Qualified Health Insurance Expense Credit. Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, an employer (but only an employer who employs 50 or fewer persons either directly or whose compensation is reported on Form 1099) is allowed a tax credit for qualified health insurance expenses in the amount of $250.00 for each employee enrolled for twelve consecutive months in a qualified health insurance plan. Qualified health insurance means a high deductible health plan as defined by Section 223 of the Internal Revenue Code. The qualified health insurance must be made available to all employees and compensated individuals of the employer pursuant to the applicable provisions of Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code. The total amount of the tax credit for a taxable year cannot exceed the employer's income tax liability. The qualified health insurance premium expense must equal at least $250 annually.
130 Quality Jobs Credit. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, a taxpayer creating at least 50 "new quality jobs" may be entitled to a credit provided certain conditions are met. A "new quality job" means a job that: 1) Is located in this state; 2) Has a regular work week of 30 hours or more; 3) Is not a job that is or was already located in Georgia regardless of which taxpayer the individual performed services for; 4) which pays at or above 110 percent of the average wage of the county in which it is located; and 5) For a taxpayer that initially claimed the credit in a taxable year beginning before January 1, 2012, the job has no predetermined end date. The credit amount varies depending upon the pay of the new quality jobs. The credit must be claimed within 1 year instead of the normal 3 year statute of limitation period. The taxpayer may claim the credit in years one through five for new quality jobs created in year one and may continue to claim newly created new quality jobs through year seven and claim the credit on each of those new quality jobs for five years. The credit may be used to offset 100 percent of the taxpayers Georgia income tax liability in the taxable year. Where the amount of such credit exceeds the taxpayer's tax liability in a taxable year, the excess may be taken as a credit against such taxpayer's quarterly or monthly withholding tax. To claim the credit against withholding, a taxpayer must file Form IT-WH as provided in the quality jobs tax credit regulation or as instructed by the Commissioner. For a taxpayer that initially qualifies to claim the credit in a taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2016, the term "taxpayer" means any person required by law to file a return or to pay taxes, except that any taxpayer may elect to consider the jobs within its disregarded entities, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code, for purposes of calculating the number of new quality jobs created by the taxpayer. Such election shall be irrevocable and must be made on the initial qualifying return (on Form IT-QJ) or within one year of the earlier of the date the initial qualifying return was filed or the date such return was due, including extensions. In the event such election is made, such disregarded entities shall not be separately eligible for the credit. Also, if the first date on which the taxpayer, pursuant to the provisions of Code Section 48-7-101, withhold wages for employees in this state occurs in a taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2017, the taxpayer has two years to employ at least 50 persons in new quality jobs in this state instead of the prior one year period. In 2017 the statute was changed to provide that only a taxpayer that completes the creation of a qualified project in a taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2017 is eligible to begin a subsequent sev- en-year job creation period. For a taxpayer that initially qualifies to claim the credit in a tax year beginning on or after January 1, 2020, the 50 new quality jobs requirement is reduced if the jobs are located in a rural county as defined in the statute. For taxable years beginning in 2020 and 2021, taxpayers that claimed the quality jobs tax credit in a taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2019 and before December 31, 2019, have the option to utilize the number of new quality jobs that the
55 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
taxpayer claimed in the taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2019 and before December 31, 2019; or calculate the number of new quality jobs based on the number of new quality jobs created and maintained in that respective tax year. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.17.
131 Alternate Port Activity Tax Credit. O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.15A provides an alternate port tax credit. The definitions of "base year port traffic" and "port traffic" include imports and exports of product. It allows the credit to any business enterprise located in a tier two or three county established pursuant to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40 and in a less developed area established pursuant to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.1 and which qualifies and receives the tax credit under O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.1 and which:
1. Consists of a distribution facility of greater than 650,000 square feet in operation in this state prior to December 31, 2008;
2. Distributes product to retail stores owned by the same legal entity or its subsidiaries as such distribution facility; and
3. Has a minimum of 8 retail stores in this state in the first year of operations. The business enterprise shall not be autho- rized to claim both this credit and the port credit provided in O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.15, unless such business enterprise has increased its port traffic of products during the previous twelve month period by more than 20 percent above its base year port traffic, and also has increased employment by 400 or more no sooner than January 1, 1998. The tax credit, in addition to the tax credit under O.C.G.A. 48-7-40, shall be limited to an amount not greater than 50 percent of the taxpayer's state income tax liability which is attributable to income derived from operations in this state for that taxable year. No credit may be claimed and allowed under this code section for any jobs created on or after January 1, 2015.
132 Qualified Investor Tax Credit. This provides a 35% credit for amounts invested in a registered qualified business. The aggregate amount of credit allowed an individual person for one or more qualified investments in a single taxable year, whether made directly or by a pass-through entity and allocated to such individual, shall not exceed $50,000.00. The credit is available for investments made in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. The credit is claimed 2 years later, in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 respectively. The aggregate amount of tax credits allowed is $10 million for investments made in calendar years 2011, 2012, and 2013; and $5 million for investments made in calendar years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. The taxpayer must get approval as provided in O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.30 before claiming the credit. This became effective January 1, 2011. See Code Section 48-7-40.30 and Regulation 560-7-8-.52 for more information.
133 Film Tax Credit for A Qualified Interactive Entertainment Production Company. For taxable years beginning during 2013 the aggregate amount of film tax credits allowed for qualified interactive entertainment production companies and their affiliates which are qualified interactive entertainment production companies shall not exceed $25 million. Such cap for taxable years beginning in 2014 and later is $12.5 million for each year. The maximum credit for any qualified interactive entertainment production company and its affiliates which are qualified interactive entertainment production companies is $5 million for taxable years beginning in 2013, 1.5 million for taxable years beginning in 2014 and later. For taxable years beginning in 2014 through 2017 no qualified interactive entertainment production company shall be allowed to claim an amount of tax credits for any single year in excess of its total aggregate payroll expended to employees working within Georgia for the calendar year directly preceding the start of the year the qualified interactive entertainment production company claims the film tax credit. For taxable years beginning in 2018 and later no qualified interactive entertainment production company shall be allowed to claim an amount of tax credits for any single year in excess of its total aggregate payroll expended to employees working within Georgia for the taxable year the qualified interactive entertainment production company claims the film tax credit. The amount in excess of these limits is not eligible for carry forward to the succeeding years' tax liability, nor shall such excess amount be eligible for use against the qualified interactive entertainment production company's quarterly or monthly payment under Code Section 48-7-103, nor shall such excess amount be assigned, sold, or transferred to any other taxpayer. For taxable years beginning in 2014 through 2017 before the Department of Economic Development issues its approval to the qualified interactive entertainment production company for the qualified production activities related to interactive entertainment, the qualified interactive entertainment production company must certify to the Department of Revenue that it maintains a business location physically located in Georgia and that it had expended a total aggregate payroll of $500,000.00 or more for employees working within Georgia during the calendar year directly preceding the start of the taxable year of the qualified interactive entertainment production company. For taxable years beginning in 2018 and later before the Department of Economic Development issues its approval to the qualified interactive entertainment production company for the qualified production activities related to interactive entertainment, the qualified interactive entertainment production company must certify to the Department of Revenue that it maintains a business location physically located in Georgia and that it had expended or intends to expend a total aggregate payroll of $250,000.00 or more for employees working within Georgia during the taxable year the qualified interactive entertainment production company claims the credit; if these requirements are met the Department of Revenue will issue a certification. For the taxable years beginning in 2013, 2014 and 2015 the credits are allowed on a first-come first-served basis based on the date the film tax credits are claimed. For taxable years beginning in 2016 and later the qualified interactive entertainment production company must request preapproval to claim the credit and must report certain information to the Department. The credit can be sold to a Georgia taxpayer.
135 Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit for any Other Certified Structure (not a historic home). This provides a tax credit for certified rehabilitation of any other certified structure. Standards set by the Department of Community Affairs must be met. For
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 56
taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2017, a taxpayer must receive preapproval as provided in DOR's regulation and the credit can be sold to a Georgia taxpayer as provided in DOR's regulation. 2022 is the last year of the credit. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.8 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.56.
136 Qualified Rural Hospital Organization Expense Tax Credit. This provides a tax credit for a donation to a Rural Hospital Organization. The credit is allowed on a first come, first served basis. The aggregate amount allowed for all taxpayers cannot exceed $60 million per tax year through 2024. The taxpayer must add back to Georgia taxable income that part of any federal charitable contribution deduction related to the credit. Taxpayers must request preapproval to claim this credit. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.20 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.57.
137 Qualified Parolee Jobs Tax Credit. Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2017, an employer that employs a qualified parolee before January 1, 2020 in a full-time job may claim this credit if certain requirements are satisfied. This credit must be claimed on Form IT-QPJ. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.31 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.58.
138 Postproduction Film Tax Credit. Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, postproduction companies that have at least $500,000 in qualified postproduction expenditures may claim this tax credit if they have received preapproval from the Department. Postproduction companies must request certification and preapproval electronically from the Department through the Georgia Tax Center. The aggregate amount of tax credits allowed is $10 million per tax year through 2022; and the maximum credit allowed for any postproduction company and its affiliates that are postproduction companies is $2 million. Any excess credit may be used to offset the postproduction company's withholding taxes; and the credit may be sold by the postproduction company to a Georgia taxpayer. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.26A and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.59.
139 Small Postproduction Film Tax Credit. Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, small postproduction companies that have at least $100,000 but less than $500,000 in qualified postproduction expenditures may claim this tax credit if they have received preapproval from the Department. Small postproduction companies must request certification and preapproval electronically from the Department through the Georgia Tax Center. The aggregate amount of tax credits allowed is $1 million per tax year through 2022. Any excess credit may be used to offset the small postproduction company's withholding taxes; and the credit may be sold by the small postproduction company to a Georgia taxpayer. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-740.26A and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.59.
140 Qualified Education Donation Tax Credit. Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, this credit is allowed on a first come first served basis. The aggregate amount of the tax credit allowed to all taxpayers cannot exceed $5 million per tax year through 2023. The taxpayer must add back to Georgia taxable income that part of any federal charitable contribution deduction taken on a federal return for which a credit is allowed. Taxpayers must request preapproval electronically from the Department through the Georgia Tax Center. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.21 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8 -.60.
141 Musical Tax Credit. Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, a production company that meets or exceeds $500,000 in qualified production expenditures in a taxable year for a musical or theatrical performance; or $250,000 in qualified production expenditures in a taxable year for a recorded musical performance which is incorporated into or synchronized with a movie, television, or interactive entertainment production; or $100,000 in qualified production expenditures in a taxable year for any other recorded musical performance may claim this tax credit if they have received a pre-certification from the Department of Economic Development and preapproval from the Department. Production companies must request preapproval electronically from the Department through the Georgia Tax Center. The aggregate amount of tax credits allowed is: for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018 and before January 1, 2019, $5 million, and the maximum credit amount allowed for any production company and its affiliates that are production companies shall not exceed $1 million; for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2019 and before January 1, 2020, $10 million, and the maximum credit amount allowed for any production company and its affiliates that are production companies shall not exceed $2 million; for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020 and before January 1, 2023, $15 million, and the maximum credit amount allowed for any production company and its affiliates that are production companies shall not exceed $3 million. Any excess credit may be used to offset the production company's withholding taxes. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.33 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.61.
142 Rural Zone Tax Credits. Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, certified entities and eligible businesses that have received certification from the Department of Community Affairs may claim this tax credit. Standards set by the Department of Community Affairs must be met. This credit will be repealed on December 31, 2027. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.32 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.62.
143 Agribusiness and Rural Jobs Tax Credit. Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, a rural investor that has made a capital investment in a rural fund and has received certification from the Department of Community Affairs may claim this tax credit. Standards set by the Department of Community Affairs must be met. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 33-125 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.63.
57 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
144 Post-Consumer Waste Materials Tax Credit. Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, a qualified employer, taxpayer that operates a facility in Georgia that recycles post-consumer waste materials into polyester bulk continuous filament fibers, may claim this tax credit. The credit may be used to offset the qualified employer's withholding taxes. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.35.
145 Timber Tax Credit. This is a refundable income tax credit for taxpayers that suffered damage due to Hurricane Michael during 2018. Taxpayers must request preapproval electronically from the Department through the Georgia Tax Center during specific dates. The aggregate amount of tax credits allowed is $200 million. In the case of a partnership or S Corporation, the owners claim the refundable portion instead of the partnership or S Corporation. The credit can be sold to a Georgia taxpayer as provided in the regulation, the credit is not refundable for the purchaser of the timber tax credit. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-740.36 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.65.
146 Railroad Track Maintenance Tax Credit. Effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2019 and ending on or before December 31, 2026, a Class III railroad must request preapproval electronically from the Department through the Georgia Tax Center for this credit. The credit can be sold to a Georgia taxpayer as provided in the regulation. For more information, refer to O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.34 and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.64.
147 Personal Protective Equipment Manufacturer Jobs Tax Credit. Effective for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2020 and if certain requirements are met, a personal protective equipment manufacturer that qualifies for and claims the jobs tax credit under O.C.G.A. 48-7-40 or O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.1, may claim an additional job tax credit of $1,250 per job for jobs engaged in the qualifying activity of manufacturing personal protective equipment. The credit may be used to offset 100 percent of the taxpayer's Georgia income tax liability in the taxable year. Where the amount of such credit exceeds the taxpayer's tax liability in a taxable year, the excess may be taken as a credit against such taxpayer's quarterly or monthly withholding tax. To claim the credit against withholding, a taxpayer must file Form IT-WH timely. No credit shall be claimed and allowed for jobs created on or after January 1, 2025. No taxpayer shall be eligible for this tax credit for any job for which the taxpayer claims the tax credit provided for under O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.1B. For more information reference O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.1A and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.66.
148 Life Sciences Manufacturing Job Tax Credit. For taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2021 and if certain requirements are met, a medical equipment and supplies manufacturer or pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturer that qualifies for and claims the jobs tax credit under O.C.G.A. 48-7-40 or O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.1 may claim an additional job tax credit of $1,250 per job for jobs engaged in the qualifying activity of manufacturing medical equipment or supplies or manufacturing pharmaceuticals or medicine. The credit may be used to offset 100 percent of the taxpayer's Georgia income tax liability in the taxable year. Where the amount of such credit exceeds the taxpayer's tax liability in a taxable year, the excess may be taken as a credit against such taxpayer's quarterly or monthly withholding tax. To claim this credit against withholding, a taxpayer must file Form IT-WH timely. No taxpayer shall be eligible for this tax credit for any job for which the taxpayer claims the tax credit provided for under Code Section 48-7-40.1A, or for any job created pursuant to Code Section 48-7-40 or 48-7-40.1 prior to July 1, 2021. For more information reference O.C.G.A. 48-7-40.1B and Revenue Regulation 560-7-8-.67.
Series 200 Individual Credits
201 Disabled Person Home Purchase or Retrofit Credit. O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.1 provides a disabled person credit equal to the lesser of $500 per residence or the taxpayer's income tax liability for the purchase of a new single-family home that contains all of the accessibility features listed below. It also provides a credit equal to the lesser of the cost or $125 to retrofit an existing single-family home with one or more of these features. The disabled person must be the taxpayer or the taxpayer's spouse if a joint return is filed. Qualified features are:
One no-step entrance allowing access into the residence. Interior passage doors providing at least a 32-inch- wide opening.
Reinforcements in bathroom walls allowing installation of grab bars around the toilet, tub, and shower, where such facilities are provided.
Light switches and outlets placed in accessible locations.
To qualify for this credit, the disabled person must be permanently disabled and have been issued a permanent parking permit by the Department of Revenue or have been issued a special permanent parking permit by the Department of Revenue. This credit can be carried forward 3 years. For more information, see Regulation 560-7-8-.44.
202 Child and Dependent Care Expense Credit. O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.10 provides taxpayers with a credit for qualified child & dependent care expenses. The credit is 30% of the credit claimed and allowed under Internal Revenue Code 21 and claimed by the taxpayer on the taxpayer's Federal income tax return. This credit cannot be carried forward.
203 Georgia National Guard/Air National Guard Credit. O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.9 provides a tax credit for Georgia residents who are members of the National Guard or Air National Guard and are on active duty full time in the United States Armed Forces, or active
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 58
duty training in the United States Armed Forces for a period of more than 90 consecutive days. The credit shall be claimed and allowed in the year in which the majority of such days are served. In the event an equal number of consecutive days are served in two calendar years, then the exclusion shall be claimed and allowed in the year in which the ninetieth day occurs. The credit shall apply with respect to each taxable year in which such member serves for such qualifying period of time. The credit cannot exceed the amount expended for qualified life insurance premiums nor the taxpayer's income tax liability. Qualified life insurance premiums are the premiums paid for insurance coverage through the service member's Group Life Insurance Program administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Any unused tax credit is allowed to be carried forward to the taxpayer's succeeding year's tax liability.
204 Qualified Caregiving Expense Credit. O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.2 provides a qualified caregiving expense credit equal to 10 percent of the cost of qualified caregiving expenses for a qualifying family member. The credit cannot exceed $150. Qualified services include Home health agency services, personal care services, personal care attendant services, homemaker services, adult day care, respite care, or health care equipment and other supplies which have been determined by a physician to be medically necessary. Services must be obtained from an organization or individual not related to the taxpayer or the qualifying family member. The qualifying family member must be at least age 62 or been determined disabled by the Social Security Administration. A qualifying family member includes the taxpayer or an individual who is related to the taxpayer by blood, marriage or adoption. Qualified caregiving expenses do not include expenses that were subtracted to arrive at Georgia net taxable income or for which amounts were excluded from Georgia net taxable income. There is no carryover or carry-back available. The credit cannot exceed the taxpayer's income tax liability. For more information, see Regulation 560-7-8-.43.
206 Disaster Assistance Credit. O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.4 provides for a credit for a taxpayer who receives disaster assistance during a taxable year from the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency or the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The amount of the credit is equal to $500 or the actual amount of the disaster assistance, whichever is less. The credit cannot exceed the taxpayer's income tax liability. Any unused tax credit can be carried forward to the succeeding years' tax liability but cannot be carried back to the prior years' tax liability. The approval letter from the disaster assistance agency must be enclosed with the return. The following types of assistance qualify:
Grants from the Department of Human Services' Individual and Family Grant Program. Grants from GEMA/HS and/or FEMA.
Loans from the Small Business Administration that are due to disasters declared by the President or Governor.
207 Rural Physicians Credit. O.C.G.A. 48-7-29 provides for a $5,000 tax credit for rural physicians. The tax credit may be claimed for not more than five years. There is no carryover or carry-back available. The credit cannot exceed the taxpayer's income tax liability. In order to qualify, the physician must meet the following conditions:
1. The physician must have started working in a rural county after July 1, 1995. If the physician worked in a rural county prior to that date, a period of at least three years must have elapsed before the physician returns to work in a rural county.
2. The physician must practice and reside in a rural county. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2003, a physician qualifies for the credit if they practice in a rural county and reside in a county contiguous to a rural county. A rural county is defined as one with 65 or fewer persons per square mile according to the United States Decennial Census of 1990 or any future such census. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2012, the United States Decennial Census of 2010 is used (see regulation 560-7-8-.20 for transition rules). A listing of rural counties for purposes of the rural physicians credit may be obtained at the following web page: dor.georgia.gov
3. The physician must be licensed to practice medicine in Georgia, primarily admit patients to a rural hospital, and practice in the fields of family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, internal medicine, or general surgery. A rural hospital is defined as an acute-care hospital located in a rural county that contains 80 or fewer beds. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2003, a rural hospital is defined as an acute-care hospital located in a rural county that contains 100 or fewer beds. For more information, see Regulation 560-7-8-.20.
208 Adoption of a Foster Child Credit for Adoptions Occurring in Taxable Years Beginning on or After January 1, 2008 and before January 1, 2021. Georgia Code Section 48-7-29.15 provides an income tax credit for the adoption of a qualified foster child. The amount of the credit is $2,000 per qualified foster child per taxable year, commencing with the year in which the adoption becomes final, and ending in the year in which the adopted child attains the age of 18. This credit applies to adoptions occurring in the taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2008 and before January 1, 2021. Any unused credit can be carried forward until used.
209 Eligible Single-Family Residence Tax Credit. O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.17 provides taxpayers a credit for the purchase of an eligible single-family residence located in Georgia. An eligible single-family residence is a single-family structure (including a condominium unit as defined in O.C.G.A. 44-3-71) that is occupied for residential purposes by a single family, that is:
a) Any residence (including a new residence, one occupied at the time of sale, or a previously occupied residence) that was for sale prior to May 11, 2009 and that remained for sale after May 11, 2009; or
59 | Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021
b) A residence with respect to which a foreclosure event has taken place and which is owned by the mortgagor or the mortgagor's agent; or
c) An owner-occupied residence with respect to which the owner's acquisition indebtedness was in default on or before March 1, 2009. Acquisition indebtedness is debt incurred in acquiring, constructing, or substantially improving a qualified residence and which is secured by such residence. Refinanced debt is acquisition debt if at least a portion of such debt refinances the principal amount of existing acquisition indebtedness. A taxpayer is allowed the tax credit for a purchase of one eligible single-family residence made between June 1, 2009 and November 30, 2009. The credit amount is the lesser of 1.2 percent of the purchase price of the eligible single-family residence or $1,800.00. The amount of the tax credit that may be claimed and allowed in a single tax year cannot exceed the lesser of 1/3 of the credit or the taxpayer's income tax liability. Any unused tax credit can be carried forward but cannot be carried back.
210 Other States Tax Credit. Georgia allows a credit for tax paid to another state on income taxable to Georgia and the other state. Use the worksheets in the 511 Instruction Booklet to compute the other state(s) tax credit for full-year and part year residents (nonresidents are not allowed the credit). 211 Low Income Tax Credit. You may claim the low income credit if your Federal adjusted gross income is less than $20,000 and you are not claimed or eligible to be claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer's Feder- al or Georgia income tax return. Partyear residents may only claim the credit if they were residents at the end of the tax year. Taxpayers filing a separate return for a taxable year in which a joint return could have been filed can only claim the credit that would have been allowed had a joint return been filed. You cannot claim this credit if you are an inmate in a correctional facility. This credit must be claimed on or before the end of the 12th month following the close of the tax year. The credit cannot exceed the taxpayer's income tax liability. 212 Community Based Faculty Preceptor Tax Credit. O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.22 provides an income tax credit for a com- munity based faculty preceptor that conducts a preceptorship rotation(s). This tax credit is applicable for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2019 and ending on or before December 31, 2023. For a community based faculty preceptor who is a physician as defined in O.C.G.A. 43-34-21, the credit shall accrue on a per preceptorship rotation basis in the amount of $500 for the first, second, or third preceptorship rotation and $1,000 for the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, or tenth preceptorship rotation completed in one calendar year. For a community based faculty preceptor who is an advanced practice registered nursed as defined in O.C.G.A. 43-26-3 or a physician assistant as defined in O.C.G.A. 43-34-102, the credit shall accrue on a per preceptorship rotation basis in the amount of $375 for the first, second, or third preceptorship rotation and $750 for the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, or tenth preceptorship rotation completed in one calendar year. An individual shall not accrue credit for more than ten precep- torship rotations in one calendar year. The credit cannot be carried forward and cannot be carried back. Certification from the Area Health Education Centers Program Office at Augusta University must be enclosed with the return. 213 Adoption of a Foster Child Credit for Adoptions Occurring in Taxable Years Beginning on or After January 1, 2021. O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.15 provides an income tax credit for the adoption of a qualified foster child. This credit applies to adoptions occurring in taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2021. The amount of the credit is $6,000 per qualified foster child per taxable year, commencing with the year in which the adoption becomes final, for five taxable years and $2,000 per qualified foster child per taxable year thereafter, and ending in the year in which the adopted child attains the age of 18. This credit cannot be carried forward. NOTE: The credit type code numbers referenced above are subject to change from year to year. Please review the codes carefully to ensure you list the correct code number. For more details about credits and the latest forms, visit our website at: dor.georgia.gov.
Georgia Department of Revenue Annual and Statistical Report Fiscal and Calendar Year 2021 | 60
1800 Century Boulevard, NE Atlanta, GA 30345
dor.georgia.gov dorgeorgia
GADeptofRevenue