Gov. Nathan Deal on Wednesday signed into law a last-minute tax break for Mercedes-Benz workers and a small private Baptist college.
The tax break bill was the final piece of legislation passed by the Georgia Senate during the 2015 session, winning approval after midnight on the 40th day of the session.
The bill includes several provisions aimed at helping Georgians who want to appeal their property valuations. However, Deal requested a last-minute add-on to House Bill 202, to keep the 800 or so Mercedes-Benz headquarters employees from having to pay taxes on the cars they lease.
Instead, the executives and staffers will get special license plates, at a cost of $62. State officials estimate the tax break will cost about $1.2 million a year.
Sen. Bruce Thompson, R-White, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, also tacked on a sales tax break of up to $350,000 on the purchase of construction materials by Truett-McConnell College, a private Baptist school in Cleveland, Ga. Thompson is a trustee of the college.
Thompson did not mention either Mercedes-Benz or Truett-McConnell in his presentation of the bill in the final, hectic minutes of the session.
Mercedes-Benz USA confirmed earlier this year that it would build a new headquarters in Sandy Springs.
The company said it plans a $93 million campus and will relocate or create 800 to 1,000 jobs. The incentive package —- such as tax breaks —- was valued at about $27,000 per job. State officials said the average pay for headquarters employees is expected to be more than $78,000.
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