TITLE 48 REVENUE AND TAXATION

Section 8. Sales and Use Taxes, 48-8-1 through 48-8-278.

ARTICLE 2A HOMESTEAD OPTION SALES AND USE TAX (HOST)

48-8-109.5. Administration and collection of tax; disbursement of tax.

1. The sales and use tax levied pursuant to this part shall be exclusively administered and collected by the commissioner for the use and benefit of each county whose geographical boundary is conterminous with that of a special district.Such administration and collection shall be accomplished in the same manner and subject to the same applicable provisions, procedures, and penalties provided in Article 1 of this chapter except that the sales and use tax provided in this part shall be applicable to sales of motor fuels as prepaid local tax as such term is defined in Code Section 48-8-2, to the same extent that sales of motor fuels are subject to taxation pursuant to Part 1 of this article; provided, however, that all moneys collected from each taxpayer by the commissioner shall be applied first to such taxpayer's liability for taxes owed the state.Dealers shall be allowed a percentage of the amount of the sales and use tax due and accounted for and shall be reimbursed in the form of a deduction in submitting, reporting, and paying the amount due if such amount is not delinquent at the time of payment.The deduction shall be at the rate and subject to the requirements specified under subsections (b) through (f) of Code Section 48-8-50.
2. Each sales and use tax return remitting sales and use taxes collected under this part shall separately identify the location of each retail establishment at which any of the sales and use taxes remitted were collected and shall specify the amount of sales and the amount of taxes collected at each establishment for the period covered by the return in order to facilitate the determination by the commissioner that all sales and use taxes imposed by this part are collected and distributed according to situs of sale.
3. The proceeds of the sales and use tax collected by the commissioner in each special district under this part shall be disbursed as soon as practicable after collection as follows:
   1. One percent of the amount collected shall be paid into the general fund of the state treasury in order to defray the costs of administration; and
   2. The remaining proceeds shall be disbursed to the governing authority of the county whose geographical boundary is conterminous with that of the special district, and each municipality located wholly or partially therein, and shall be utilized as follows:
      1. First, the proceeds shall be used to roll back, and eliminate if possible, the millage rates for any county ad valorem property tax line items levied uniformly throughout the county on homestead properties, including in all municipalities; and
      2. Next, any remaining proceeds shall be used to roll back at an equal and uniform rate across both of the following categories, and eliminate if possible:
         1. The millage rates for any county ad valorem property tax line items levied only in unincorporated portions of the county on homestead properties; and
         2. The millage rates for any municipal ad valorem property tax line items levied in every municipality located wholly or partially in the county on homestead properties but not in unincorporated portions of the county.

         If any municipality is located partially in the special district, then only that portion so located shall be considered in the calculations contained in this subsection.

4. The form to collect ad valorem tax prepared by the county tax commissioner shall reflect the full amount owed by the taxpayer pursuant to the millage rates set by the county governing authority and any municipal governing authority.Under a separate heading, the form shall reflect the deductions from the gross ad valorem tax amount realized through the application of proceeds from the equalized homestead option sales and use tax.
5. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary except subsection (f) of this Code section, in any county levying a tax under this part, a tax levied pursuant to the provisions of Part 1 of Article 3 of this chapter in a special district in such county shall be strictly divided between the unincorporated portions of the county whose geographical boundary is conterminous with that of the special district and the municipalities wholly or partially located within the special district on a per capita basis, based on the most recent decennial census, unless altered by an intergovernmental agreement between the county and all municipalities wholly located within the special district. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the department shall disburse directly to the county and each municipality its share of the proceeds of the tax levied pursuant to Part 1 of Article 3 of this chapter.
6. The tax levied in the special district under Part 1 of Article 3 of this chapter shall not be levied within the boundaries of any municipality wholly or partially located withinthe special district that is levying a tax pursuant to Article 4 of this chapter.No proceeds from the tax levied in the special district under Part 1 of Article 3 of this chapter shall be disbursed to any such municipality. Upon the expiration of the tax levied under Article 4 of this chapter in such municipality, the tax in the special district under Part 1 of Article 3 of this chapter shall be levied within such municipality and proceeds shall be disbursed to such municipality in accordance with this part.

(Code 1981, §48-8-109.5, enacted by Ga. L. 2015, p. 217, § 2/HB 215; Ga. L. 2017, p. 530, § 2/SB 156.)

The 2017 amendment, effective July 1, 2017, deleted the former next-to-last sentence of subsection (e), which read: "For as long as a municipality located within the special district and incorporated after May 4, 2015, does not maintain the roads, streets, sidewalks, and bicycle paths within its territorial boundaries and relies upon the county governing authority for such maintenance, such municipality's per capita share of the proceeds of the tax levied pursuant to Part 1 of Article 3 of this chapter shall be paid to the county governing authority.".