This browser does not support the Video element.
New bill would Atlanta airport tax exemption
Two Georgia lawmakers have introduced a bill to end the tax exemption for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Officials say the city has not paid taxes on it in eight years.
ATLANTA - Turbulence is building under the Gold Dome with Atlanta's airport at the center of a tax fight.
What they're saying:
Turbulence is building under the Gold Dome with Atlanta's airport at the center of a tax fight.
Rep. Rhonda Burnough (D-Riverdale) and Rep. Sandra Scott (D-Rex), who represent Clayton County, are sponsoring a bill to end a long-standing tax exemption for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
While most of the airport sits in Clayton County, the city of Atlanta hasn't paid county property taxes for roughly 80 years.
Burnough estimates the proposed change could generate an estimated $50 million annually for Clayton County and nearby cities, funding she argues is long overdue.
"It's about the residents of Clayton County getting what they deserve so that we can have money for sustainability," Burnough said." That's the keyword, sustainability. We have that money. We will be able to sustain our county."
The other side:
The proposal is facing strong opposition from members of the Atlanta delegation in the House and Senate.
Opponents warn that the change would do more harm than good and say Hartsfield reinvests its revenue in operations and economic development, benefiting the entire state.
"No other major airport in this country pays a property tax," said Sen. Sonya Halpern (D-Atlanta), "not a single one. When you change the economic cost structure of an airport this size, there are downstream consequences."
What's next:
The bill could come up for a vote in the House this week.
The Source: This is a FOX 5 original report.