The White County Board of Commissioners has approved a ballot question that will give the citizens the opportunity to vote on whether the county can impose a 1-cent sales tax that should lead to lower property taxes.
Following an intergovernmental agreement with the cities of Cleveland and Helen, the commission approved a Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) question to be included in this year’s November balloting.
FLOST is a penny-on-the-dollar floating local option sales and use tax. If voters approve the tax—which officials say 60 percent or more of the revenue would be paid for by visitors to the county—it is expected to raise approximately $45,000,000. Those funds under Georgia law must be distributed to reduce property taxes.
The tax relief is not only for county taxpayers, but both Cleveland and Helen property owners will also see the reduction, commissioners said.
As things stand now, if the sales tax is approved, both city property taxes would be cut to zero, and county property taxes will be reduced by one-half, according to officials.
White County Commission Chairman Travis Turner noted that the tax relief does not include a reduction of the school tax rate.
Turner said that they can’t openly promote this sales tax, but asked county residents, “to do your research, to see how this affects you, that’s a better word, how this can affect you. This is also, if this passes in November, all property owners, not just your residential owners, also properties that are in commercial names or business names would also be affected more, actually potentially benefit.”
The FLOST question will appear on the November ballot.
