Georgia General Assembly Passes "Common Sense" Approach To Establishing Fair Price of Used Vehicles

Editor's note: the following is a press release from the office of State Rep. Calvin Hill (R-Hickory Flat):

After an agonizing year of dealing with the details and “unintended consequences” of the elimination of the Birthday Tax on vehicles, a common sense approach has finally been passed by both chambers of the General Assembly when establishing the fair price of a used vehicle.

Under the existing system, the value was pretty much established by a “motor vehicle ad valorem assessment manual or the value from a reputable used car market guide, whichever is greater!  

There was no allowance whatsoever for a vehicle with really high mileage, a blown engine, body damage or any other of a list of things we all could think of that could greatly diminish a vehicle’s real value. There was no room for common sense to prevail. 

Now, after the final passage of a substitute to Senate Bill 463, the county tag agent will be allowed to deviate from the fair market value "based upon mileage and condition of the used vehicle."

As supporting documentation will be required this is not an automatic option to bypass the law, but it does bring common sense back into the bureaucracy and indicates that , on the state level anyway, we have not all lost our minds forever.  

What we wait for now is the governor to sign this package.