Ga. Supremes Uphold Challenge of Tax Breaks for Developers
(Atlanta Business Journal) — A closely divided Georgia Supreme Court Monday sided with a taxpayer advocate’s legal challenge of tax breaks used to finance some of Atlanta’s most high-profile hotels and office buildings. In a 4-3 decision, the high court declared that a lower-court ruling prematurely dismissed a lawsuit filed last year by John Sherman, president of the Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation, against the Fulton County Board of Assessors. The suit took on bond deals approved by the Development Authority of Fulton County, based upon assessment methodology used by the assessors’ board, which offered tax abatements starting at 50 percent and increasing 5 percent each year for 11 years.
