Local INcentives
Tax reductions*
Land & building
Machinery & equipment
Potential for fee waivers and/or reductions*
Fast track local permitting
Mentoring program, Office Space during construction and other amenities.
*These incentives are at the discretion of the Long County EDA and local governments. They are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and the following factors are considered to determine if a project is eligible: number of new jobs to be created, investment (real and personal property) to be made, and wage breakdown.
State Incentives
Long County is a Tier 1 Georgia Jobs Tax Credit County, a Less Developed Census Tract,
and a Military Zone.
Georgia’s corporate income tax
Quality Jobs Tax Credit
Credit value ranges from $2,500 to $5,000 per job, per year for up to five years
Credits may offset a company's payroll withholding once all other corporate income tax liability has been exhausted
Rewards companies that create at least 50 jobs in a 12-month period provided the jobs pay wages that are at least 10 percent higher than the county average
Georgia’s job tax credit
Interstate Centre, Crossroads South, the Pembroke Industrial Site and the REKA Site are all in a Military Zone, which means companies locating will receive $3,500 per job per year for a five year period (minimum job threshold is two)
Belfast Commerce Park is Tier 4, which means companies locating will recieve $1,250 per job per year for a five year period (minimum job threshold is 25; credits only taken once Quality Jobs Tax Credits have been exhausted)
Ports activity job tax credit bonus
Sales & use tax exemptions on machinery & equipment
Elimination of sales & use tax on energy used in manufacturing
Inventory tax exemption
Hiring & training assistance
Expedited environmental permitting
For more detail on the above list and other state incentives, click here.
STATE OF GEORGIA BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES
JOB TAX CREDITS
Job tax credits are made available to a business or its headquarters engaged in the following seven strategic industries—manufacturing, including but not limited to, manufacturing alternative energy products for use in solar, wind, battery, bioenergy, biofuel, and electric vehicle enterprises, warehousing & distribution, processing, telecommunications, broadcasting, tourism, research and development industries, biomedical manufacturing, and services for the elderly and persons with disabilities.
Job tax credits range from $4,000 for Tier 1 counties to $1,250 for Tier 4 counties; per job each year for five years. For each job tax tier, there are a minimum number of jobs required to claim the tax credit. For more information, see Georgia Job Credit.
Quality Jobs Tax Credit: awards for companies creating at least 50 jobs in a 12-month period- at wages that are at least 10 percent higher than the county average- qualify for a tax credit of $2,500 to $5,000 per job.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit: awards for companies in Georgia that hire individuals who have faced barriers to employment and ranges from $1,200 to $9,000 per hire. For more information, see Georgia Employment Tax Credits.
Mega Project Tax Credit: Businesses that employ at least 1,800 “net new” employees and have either a minimum annual payroll of $150 million or make a minimum of $450 million investment in Georgia qualify for the mega project tax credit. For more information, see Georgia Mega Project Tax Credits.
INVESTMENT TAX CREDITS
Investment tax credits qualified capital investment range from 8 percent (8%) for Tier 1 counties to 1 percent (1%) for Tier 4 counties.
Although the exact tax credits are dependent upon the tier level of the county where the investment occurs, investment tax credits are available to existing Manufacturing or Telecommunications firms that have operated a facility in Georgia for three years prior to the investment; and which invests $50,000 or more.
Higher level credits are available to businesses with investments in recycled equipment, pollution control equipment, and for the conversion of a defense plant to the manufacturing of a new product—at a rate ranging from 8 percent (8%) for Tier 1 communities to three percent (3%) for Tier 4 communities. These credit options are available only to Manufacturing firms.
The state of Georgia also offers a Port Investment Bonus to businesses with large increases of shipments into or out of a Georgia port. The port bonus increases the investment tax credit to 5 percent (5%), regardless of the county tier level. The five percent bonus is in lieu of the investment tax credit described above. For more information, see Georgia Investment Tax Credit.
OPTIONAL INVESTMENT TAX CREDITS
The optional investment tax credit is based on how much is invested, where the investment is made, and how the investment will alter the company’s tax liability. The intent is to reward companies for making major investments in the State of Georgia. Ranging from 10 percent (10%) for Tier 1 counties and 6 percent (6%) for Tier 3 or 4 counties of qualified capital investment, the optional investment tax credit is available to all businesses that qualify for investment tax credits.
The requirements remain the same as investment tax credits; however, the minimum investment ranges from $5 to $20 million. The optional tax credit equals 90 percent (90%) of the difference between; (1) the taxpayer’s Georgia income tax liability for the current year; and (2) the taxpayer’s base tax liability.
As with both the optional tax credit and the job tax credit, the credit can be claimed up to 10 years following the year the property was first placed in service provided the property remains in service. For more information, see Georgia Optional Investment Tax Credit.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT
The research and development (R&D) tax credit is available for up to 10 percent (10%) of the additional (R&D) expense over an identified base amount. The base amount is computed utilizing the previous three (3) years’ taxable income and related research expenses.
The R&D base is the businesses’ Georgia taxable net income in the current year, multiplied by either; (a) the average of the ratios of its qualified research expense to taxable net income for the preceding three (3) taxable years; or (b) 30 percent (30%), whichever is less. For more information, see Georgia Research & Development Tax Credits.
RETRAINING TAX CREDIT
The retraining tax credit is available to all businesses that file a Georgia income tax return. Retraining programs must be for new equipment and/or new technologies.
The retraining tax credit is one-half of the employer’s approved direct retraining cost, up to $500 per employee per training program with an annual maximum of $1,250 per employee. Amounts exceeded within a calendar year, can be carried over for tax credit purposes for up to 10 years and can be combined with other tax credit programs. Retraining programs must be approved by the Technical College System of Georgia before credits can be applied for by the business. Retraining tax credits can be used to reduce up to 50 percent (50%) of the taxpayer’s income tax liability in a given year in order to reduce or eliminate State of Georgia income tax liability. For more information, see Georgia Retraining Tax Credit.
FILM, TELEVISION AND DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT TAX CREDIT
Film and television companies may receive a tax credit of up to 30 percent of money spent on production and post-production in Georgia, either in a single production or on multiple projects. For the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, the minimum spending amount is $500,000 and can provide an additional 20 percent tax credit. Additionally, any project that includes the promotional logo provided by the state, will receive an additional 10 percent. Companies may also transfer or sell tax credits, in the event that there is little or no State of Georgia tax liability. For more information, please visit Georgia Film, Television and Digital Entertainment Tax Credit Page.
TAX EXEMPTIONS
GEORGIA BUSINESS TAX EXEMPTIONS
GEORGIA SALES AND USE TAX
Sales and use tax exemptions are available for machinery and equipment for a wide range of businesses and industries in Georgia. Some of the bases for these exemptions include those created for manufacturing production machinery, machinery or components to upgrade or replace existing machinery, investments made for warehouse and distribution centers, the purchase of new computer equipment, and several other categories. Additional information can be found at Georgia Sales and Use Tax Exemptions.
INVENTORY TAX
Long County exempts up to 100 percent (100%) of manufacturer’s inventory under the local option “Freeport” law. In these “Freeport” counties, raw material, work-in-process, and finished goods inventory are all considered exempt. In addition, most “Freeport” counties exempt warehouse and distribution inventories from property taxes if the inventory is destined to be shipped out of state.
For more information about these tax programs, please see the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s website.