ATLANTA – State Representative John Carson (R-Marietta) announced that the Georgia General Assembly gave final passage to House Bill 217 on Thursday, March 29, 2018. This bill would adjust the cap for the qualified education tax credit for scholarship contributions.
“Raising the cap on the qualified education tax credit would grant individuals and organizations higher tax credits and enable them to donate more money for charter and private school tuitions. We advocated for an increase to the program, as Georgians have oversubscribed the prior $58 million cap for four years in a row. They’re asking for choices in kids’ education because this program is literally changing kids’ lives,” said Rep. Carson. “This ten-year increase would ensure that low-income families are able to choose their child’s school and that student scholarship organizations are not limited in their ability to help fund education.”
HB 217 would cap the qualified education tax credit at $58 million for 2018; $100 million for 2019 through 2028; and $58 million for 2029 and for all subsequent years. Under HB 217, student scholarship organization donors must be pre-approved by the Department of Education before making an eligible tax credit donation, and such organizations would be required to file a report annually with the Department of Education showing all fees or assessments retained.
Additionally, HB 217 would require a certain amount of donations to be used for student scholarship tuition and grants.
Finally, HB 217 would grant a tax exemption for noncommercial written materials or mailings for qualifying organizations from July 1, 2018, to July 1, 2021.
HB 217 will now go to Governor Nathan Deal for consideration and would require the governor’s signature in order to take effect.
For more information on HB 217, please click here.
Representative John Carson represents the citizens of District 46, which includes portions of Cherokee and Cobb counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2011 and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Vice Chairman of the Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee, Vice Chairman of the Transportation Committee and Secretary of the Insurance Committee. He also serves on the Intragovernmental Coordination and Ways and Means committees and is a member of the Military Affairs working group.
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