Georgia State

1
Introduction and Overview
Sally Wallace
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
2
Purpose

• Learn in some detail how the property tax works
  in Georgia
• Review the growth in property tax and policy
  alternatives that address that growth
  assessment limitations, caps, exemptions, etc.
• Share experiences from other states with
  practitioners

Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
3
Overview

• What constitutes our property tax base?
• How has the property tax grown over time?
• Growth relative to population, income, U.S.
• Base component of growth in property tax revenue
• Burden of property tax in Georgia

Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
4
Which level of government?
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
5
Where does it come from?
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
6
Have revenues grown?
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
7
How much/how fast?
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
8
Adjusting for inflation
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
9
Relative to personal income
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
10
Relative to the U.S.
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
11
What has happened to the base?
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
12
Base per capita
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
13
Base relative to income
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
14
Volatility of base growth
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
15
Relative position in state-local finances
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
16
Georgia relative to US
Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
17
Summing up

• Property tax is an important revenue source,
  particularly for school districts and counties
• Tax revenues have grown
• Relative to population and income
• Relative to other taxes, not much change
• Continued interest in the tax, its growth, and
  its future

Georgia State
Fiscal Research Center
University
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies