Ad Valorem Tax

Ad valorem tax, more commonly known as property tax, is a large source of revenue for local governments in Georgia. The basis for ad valorem taxation is the fair market value of the property, which is established as of January 1 of each year. The tax is levied on the assessed value of the property which, by law, is established at 40 percent of the fair market value. The amount of tax is determined by the tax rate (mill rate) levied by various entities (one mill is equal to $1.00 for each $1,000 of assessed value, or .001).

Several distinct entities are involved in the ad valorem tax process:

• The County Tax Commissioner, an office established by the Constitution, is the official responsible for performing all functions related to billing, collecting, accounting for and disbursing ad valorem taxes collected in this county. The Tax Commissioner also serves as an agent of the State Revenue Commissioner for the registration of motor vehicles.
• The County Board of Tax Assessors, appointed for fixed terms by the county governing authority, is responsible for the appraisal, assessment, and the equalization of all assessments within the county. The Board of Tax Assessors receives tax returns filed by taxpayers and processes applications for homestead exemption. They notify taxpayers when changes are made to the value of property, receive and review all appeals filed, and insure that the appeal process proceeds properly. In addition, they approve all exemptions claimed by the taxpayer.
• The County Board of Equalization, appointed by the Grand Jury, is the body charged by law with hearing and adjudicating administrative appeals to property values and assessments made by the Board of Tax Assessors
• The Board of County Commissioners, an elected body, establishes the annual budget for county government operations and levies the mill rate necessary to fund the portion of the budget to be paid for by ad valorem tax.
• The County Board of Education, an elected body, establishes the annual budget for school purposes and adopts the mill rate necessary to fund the portion of the budget to be paid for by ad valorem tax.
• The State Revenue Commissioner , is responsible for examining the tax digests of counties in Georgia in order to determine that property is assessed uniformly and equally between and within the counties (O.C.G.A. 48-5-340).

Property

Beginning in 2018, taxes for Macon County real estate and business personal property will be due on December 20th of each year.

Property tax is an ad valorem tax, which means according to value. Ad valorem tax, the tax collected by the tax commissioner, is based on the value of the taxable property in the county.

All real estate and personal property are taxable unless law has exempted the property. (O.C.G.A. 48-5-3) Real property is land and generally anything that is erected, growing or affixed to the land; personal property is everything that can be owned that is not real estate. Personal property typically consists of inventory and fixtures used in conducting business, boats, aircraft, farm machinery, motor vehicles and mobile homes. Your household property is not normally taxable.

The Board of Assessors has the responsibility of determining the value of property in Macon County. Each year between January 1 and April 1 every property owner has the ability to declare a proposed value for their property. (O.C.G.A. 48-5-9) These values are declared in the manner of 'filing a return'. Returns for real estate are filed in the Tax Assessor's office and returns for personal property are filed with the Board of Assessors. The Board of Assessors will review your proposed value and if they disagree, an assessment notice with the Boards' value will be mailed to you.

There is a dropbox available for Property payments, located in front of the Tax Commissioner’s Office at 100 Macon Street Oglethorpe, GA 31068.

Manufactured Homes

Owners of mobile homes that are located in Macon County on January 1 must pay the ad valorem taxes on the home by May 1 of each year and obtain their location permit at that time. Failure to pay the taxes and obtain the permit will result in a 10% tax penalty, issuance of a citation for appearance in Macon State Court or possible sale of the mobile/manufactured home.

Mobile home owners desiring to declare a different value from the existing value on their mobile home must file an appeal in writing with the Board of Tax Assessors within 45 days of the mailing of their tax bill.

Homestead Exemption

Homestead exemptions have been enacted to reduce the burden of ad valorem taxation for Georgia homeowners. The exemptions apply to homestead property owned by the taxpayer and occupied as his or her legal residence. Homestead exemptions are deducted from the assessed value of the qualifying property (40 percent of the fair market value).

To receive the benefit of the homestead exemption, the taxpayer must file an initial application. In Macon County the application is filed with the Board of Tax Assessors. With respect to all of the homestead exemptions, the Board of Tax Assessors makes the final determination as to eligibility; however, if the application is denied the taxpayer must be notified and an appeal procedure then is available for the taxpayer.

Georgia law allows for the year-round filing of homestead applications but the application must be received by April 1 of the year for which the exemption is first claimed by the taxpayer. Homestead applications received after that date will be applied to the next tax year.

Once granted, the homestead exemption is automatically renewed each year and the taxpayer does not have to apply again unless there is a change of residence, ownership, or the taxpayer seeks to qualify for a different kind of exemption.

Under authority of the State Constitution several different types of homestead exemptions are provided. These are called State Exemptions. In addition, local governments are authorized to provide for increased exemption amounts. These are called Local County Exemptions. Macon County has no such local county exemptions. The Board of Assessors can answer any questions regarding the standard exemptions. The Assessor’s Office number is (478) 472-6560.

Standing Timber

For ad valorem tax purposes standing timber is taxed only once following its harvest or sale. Standing timber is taxed at 100 percent of its fair market value. It is subject to taxation even if the land underneath is exempt unless taxation has been prohibited by federal law or treaty.

The fair market value is multiplied by the appropriate mill rate to determine the tax amount due.

Standing timber is defined to include softwood and hardwood pulpwood, chip and saw logs, saw timber, poles, posts, and fuel wood. Standing timber does not include orchard trees, ornamental or Christmas trees, by products of harvesting (bark or stumps), and fuel wood harvested by the owner which is used exclusively for heating the owner's home.

The "sale" of standing timber as defined by Georgia law is the "arm's length, bona fide sale of standing timber for harvesting separate and apart from the underlying land and shall not include the simultaneous sale of a tract of land and the timber thereon."