New Laws Take Effect Today in Georgia

Some new laws go into effect in Georgia today.

They include the controversial Transportation Funding Act of 2015. The measure will convert the current sales tax on gasoline to an excise tax, which would amount to an increase in the price for a gallon of gasoline.

A variety of other changes help make up the total, including:

• A new $200 fee on electric vehicles. A new $5 per night hotel or motel fee.
• A new fee on heavy trucks, $50 or $100 annually, dependent on weight.
• The elimination of the state’s generous $5,000 tax credit for new purchases or leases of electric cars after July 1.
• The elimination of a tax break on jet-fuel purchases at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
• The proposal also lets local governments continue to collect local taxes on gasoline sales, but caps the maximum price per gallon at $3 to calculate those fees.
• In addition, the law sets up a complicated process for counties and regions to impose additional local taxes for transportation needs with some limits on how much they can charge.

Lawmakers say the new method of levying tax on the sale of gasoline will raise $900 million for transportation projects annually.

Other laws that go into effect today include:

The sale and use of larger fireworks are now legal for the first time in Georgia.

Hart County is already working on developing local regulations to control their use, though no local ordinances regarding fireworks can go into effect until January 1, 2016.

Georgia’s electric vehicle owners no longer receive a tax generous tax credit and must now pay a new registration fee.

Also, owners of alternative fuel vehicles must now pay a $200 registration fee.

And private tax services like Uber and Lyft must now do background checks on their drivers in Georgia and must carry up to $1 million in insurance coverage.