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Committee grills sponsors on reauthorizing Georgia Conservation Tax Credit; vote postponed
Summary
Lawmakers debated reauthorizing the Georgia Conservation Tax Credit (HB 1148) and raised concerns about appraisal methods, syndicated-easement fraud and administrative capacity; stakeholders and DNR urged accreditation and third-party appraisal review; committee deferred a vote pending additional information.
Sponsors returned to a reauthorization of the Georgia Conservation Tax Credit, arguing the program protects working forests and farmland from development and preserves land for future generations. The bill, as described by sponsors, would reauthorize the program for five years, set per-owner caps (sponsor cited $500,000 for individuals and $1 million for partnerships) and contemplate aggregate program caps that committee members debated.
Several senators pressed sponsors on past problems with syndicated conservation-easement transactions that produced inflated valuations and federal audits. Senator Hickman and others asked whether fair-market-value appraisals should reflect current use…
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