On Monday, August 27, 2018, Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R – Rome) was honored with the “Champion of Georgia’s Cities” legislative service award from the Georgia Municipal Association for his work on House Bills 61, 329 and 811, as well as Senate Bill 371.

“I am honored to be recognized by GMA and thankful for their devotion to helping make Georgia the best place to live, work and raise a family,” said Sen. Hufstetler. “I am glad they recognize the important part these bills play in supporting our local communities, especially supporting their local economies through legislation having to do with sales and use tax, as this is a large provider of funds for cities. I am excited to see the positive impact this legislation will have on our cities and I am looking forward to working with GMA on legislation in the future.”

Senate Bill 371 allows local counties and municipalities the ability to request information from the Department of Revenue (DOR) to see what businesses within county lines are included on the vendor sales tax certificate. This legislation passed both chambers and was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal on May 7, 2018.

House Bill 61 requires out-of-state retailers who do over $250,000 in sales or more than 200 transactions a year to collect and remit sales and use taxes. This legislation passed both chambers and was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal on May 3, 2018.

House Bill 329 makes several changes to the title ad valorem tax including adding the definitions for fair market value of a motor vehicle for leased vehicles and kit cars. This legislation passed both chambers and was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal on May 3, 2018.

House Bill 811 allows DOR to enter into contracts with data analytics companies to identify taxpayers who are not compliant with sales and use taxes. This legislation passed both chambers and was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal on May 3, 2018.