Cities could get larger share of Georgia vehicle tax revenue

ATLANTA (AP) Georgia lawmakers could change how vehicle tax revenue is split among cities, counties and school districts.

House members voted 157-1 on Tuesday for House Bill 779, sending it to the Senate for more debate.

Georgia charges a combined title fee and property tax when an owner first registers a vehicle in Georgia for cars and trucks purchased since 2013. That was a change from the earlier system of annual property tax payments.

Local governments complained that the new system reduced their revenue, and lawmakers gave them a larger share. But Rep. Shaw Blackmon, a Bonaire Republican, says under the most recent change, cities were still short of revenue, while schools and counties saw revenues rise.

Now, 28% of shared revenue goes to counties, 23% to cities and 49% to a county school district. The bill would give cities 28% and counties 23%. In cities with their own school districts, cities would get 34%, counties would get 28% and city school districts would get 43%.