No property tax break this year

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By Dal Cannady bio | email

STATESBORO, GA (WTOC) - The lunch crowd at Vandy's BBQ took the tax news like a root canal. Georgia property owners will see a higher amount on tax bills this October.

"Everybody's business is down, people are struggling, don't have a lot of cash," explained Rocket Townsend of Waycross.

"It's pretty bad. We can't afford what we've got now," echoed Robbie Mills of Statesboro.

However, the tax isn't really new. Ten years ago, Georgia lawmakers created a Homeowners Tax Relief Grant. It cut $8,000 of a home's taxable value. This year, the General Assembly added strings to require a state budget surplus for the grant. That means homeowners lose that discount until the economy rebounds.

Bulloch County Tax Assessor John Scott says owners here will pay an extra $160 dollars. Other counties could pay more or less, depending on their local mil rate.

"The important thing is for homeowners, property owners, be prepared for when they get the tax bill in October," Scott noted.

Bulloch Commissioner Jan Tankersley heads the Association - County Commissioners of Georgia. She says counties are left to deliver the state's bad news during the economy's downturn.

"It comes at a time we really hate to be the ones to tell families they have a $150 to $250 increase.

Some taxpayers say its the bill that hurts, not who sends it. Townsend said property owners pay too much of the burden already. "I think the only fair tax is sales tax, the only fair tax," he said.

Tankersley urged taxpayers who own homes or property to begin saving now to make the tax increase easier to handle. She also advised they could request more money taken out of mortgages for escrow accounts. All of Georgia's 159 counties will bill property taxes in October.