§ 48-7-20 — Individual tax rates; credit for withholding and other payments; applicability to estates and trusts

(a) A tax is imposed upon every resident of this state with respect to the Georgia taxable net income of the taxpayer as defined in Code Section 48-7-27 . A tax is imposed upon every nonresident with respect to such nonresident's Georgia taxable net income not otherwise exempted which is received by the taxpayer from services performed, property owned, proceeds of any lottery prize awarded by the Georgia Lottery Corporation, or from business carried on in this state. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the tax imposed by this subsection shall be levied, collected, and paid annually. (a.1) (1) On and after January 1, 2024, the tax imposed pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section shall be 5.39 percent for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024; provided, however, that such rate shall be reduced by 0.10 percent annually beginning on January 1, 2025, until the rate reaches 4.99 percent, provided such annual reductions in the tax rate shall be subject to delays as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection. (2) Each prospective annual reduction in the tax rate that would otherwise occur as provided in paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be delayed by one year for each year that any of the following are true as of December 1: (A) The Governor's revenue estimate for the succeeding fiscal year is not at least 3 percent above the Governor's revenue estimate for the present fiscal year; (B) The prior fiscal year's net revenue collection was not higher than each of the preceding three fiscal years' net tax revenue collection; or (C) The Revenue Shortfall Reserve provided for in Code Section 45-12-93 does not contain a sum that exceeds the amount of the decrease in state revenue projected to occur as a result of the prospective reduction in the tax rates set to occur the following year. (3) The Office of Planning and Budget shall make the determinations necessary to implement the provisions of paragraph (2) of this subsection and shall report its determinations by December 1 of each year to the department, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, and the chairpersons of the House Appropriations Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the Senate Finance Committee. This paragraph shall not be applicable after the final reduction to the rate of 4.99 percent occurs. (b) Reserved. (c) The amount deducted and withheld by an employer from the wages of an employee pursuant to Article 5 of this chapter, relating to current income tax payments, shall be allowed the employee as a credit against the tax imposed by this Code section. Amounts paid by an individual as estimated tax under Article 5 of this chapter shall constitute payments on account of the tax imposed by this Code section. The amount withheld or paid during any calendar year shall be allowed as a credit or payment for the taxable year beginning in the calendar year in which the amount is withheld or paid. (d) The tax imposed by this Code section applies to the Georgia taxable net income of estates and trusts, which shall be computed in the same manner as in the case of a single individual. The tax shall be computed on the Georgia taxable net income and shall be paid by the fiduciary. See 2022 Ga. Laws 716, § 4-1. See 2018 Ga. Laws 284, § 3-1.

Legislative History

Amended by 2024 Ga. Laws 378,§ 1, eff. 7/1/2024, app. to all taxable years beginning on or after 1/1/2024. Amended by 2023 Ga. Laws 353,§ 7, eff. 7/1/2023. Amended by 2023 Ga. Laws 236,§ 2-2, eff. 1/1/2024, app. to all taxable years beginning on or after 1/1/2024. Amended by 2022 Ga. Laws 716,§ 4-1, eff. 4/26/2022. Amended by 2022 Ga. Laws 716,§ 2-1, eff. 1/1/2024. Amended by 2018 Ga. Laws 284,§ 1-3, eff. upon passage of a joint resolution that is signed by the Governor ratifying such section by both houses of the Georgia General Assembly on or after 1/13/2020. Amended by 2018 Ga. Laws 284,§ 1-2, eff. 3/2/2018.