Section 40-2-152. Fees for apportionable vehicles; restricted license plates for vehicles

   (a) Except as otherwise provided for in this Code section, the annual fee for all apportionable vehicles not operated as a common or contract carrier for hire in accordance with owner declared gross vehicle weight or combined vehicle gross weight shall be as follows:
      (1) Less than 30,001 lbs..........................................$ 45.00
      (2) 30,001 to 36,000 lbs............................................70.00
      (3) 36,001 to 44,000 lbs...........................................115.00
      (4) 44,001 to 54,999 lbs...........................................190.00
      (5) 55,000 to 63,280 lbs...........................................300.00
      (6) 63,281 lbs. to maximum permitted...............................400.00

(b) Except as otherwise provided for in this Code section, the annual fee for all apportionable vehicles operated as a common or contract carrier for hire in accordance with owner declared gross vehicle weight or combined vehicle gross weight shall be as follows:
      (1) Less than 30,001 lbs..........................................$ 85.00
      (2) 30,001 to 36,000 lbs...........................................130.00
      (3) 36,001 to 44,000 lbs...........................................215.00
      (4) 44,001 to 54,999 lbs...........................................365.00
      (5) 55,000 to 63,280 lbs..........................................575.00
      (6) 63,281 lbs. to maximum permitted...............................725.00

(c) For each apportionable motor bus or van-type vehicle, the fee shall be $3.75 for each 100 pounds or fractional part of 100 pounds factory weight. No motor bus license fee amount shall exceed $875.00.

(d) Trucks transporting logs, pulpwood, or other forest products shall be issued restricted license plates and the fees shall be as enumerated in Code Section 40-2-151.

(e) Each school bus operated exclusively in the transportation of pupils and teachers to and from schools or school activities or in the transportation of the owner and his or her immediate family shall be issued a restricted license plate for the sum of $5.00. A bus owned by a church or owned in common with other churches and used and operated exclusively for the church in transporting members and patrons to and from church or church activities, when no part of the proceeds of the operation of the bus inures to the benefit of any private person, shall be issued a restricted license plate for the sum of $5.00 in the same manner as school buses when the bus complies with the laws applicable to school buses.

(f) A truck or a truck-tractor hauling fertilizer, milk, or crops as defined in paragraph (7.1) of Code Section 1-3-3 shall be issued a restricted license plate with the fee computed in accordance with Code Section 40-2-151.

(g) A farm vehicle shall be issued a restricted license plate with the fee computed in accordance with Code Section 40-2-151.

(h) Only for apportionable vehicles registered under subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this Code section:

   (1) Each such apportionable vehicle shall be subject to an annual alternative ad valorem tax on such apportionable vehicle as authorized under Article VII, Section I, Paragraph (b)(3) of the Constitution. Such alternative ad valorem tax shall be in the amount specified in subsection (k) of this Code section and shall be collected by the commissioner at the same time as the registration fee required under subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this Code section;

   (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of Code Section 48-5-442.1, no ad valorem tax shall be assessed against such apportionable vehicle other than the alternative ad valorem tax under this Code section except that such apportionable vehicle shall not be relieved for any such ad valorem tax which accrued and was due and payable prior to registration under the International Registration Plan; and

   (3) The full amount of such alternative ad valorem tax proceeds shall not constitute fees for purposes of Code Section 40-2-131. Such proceeds shall be retained by the commissioner in a separate, segregated account for the purpose of allocation and distribution under subsection (m) of this Code section.

(i) For all trailers and semitrailers owned by fleets whose tractors are registered under the International Registration Plan, the apportioned value for ad valorem taxes shall be determined as provided in Code Section 48-5-442.1.

(j) For all trailers and semitrailers owned by fleets whose tractors are registered under the International Registration Plan, payment of ad valorem taxes shall be accepted by the department upon request of the taxpayer regardless of the county in which such trailer is domiciled.

(k) Each apportionable vehicle identified under subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this Code section shall be subject to an alternative ad valorem tax which shall be determined by the value and rate assigned to each weight class. Each weight class shall be a separate subclass of motor vehicle, and the value of each vehicle shall remain the value for each tax year as follows:

   (1) Less than 30,001 lbs. shall be valued at $15,000.00 and taxed at $50.00 per year;

   (2) 30,001 to 36,000 lbs. shall be valued at $25,000.00 and taxed at $75.00 per year;

   (3) 36,001 to 44,000 lbs. shall be valued at $40,000.00 and taxed at $125.00 per year;

   (4) 44,001 to 54,999 lbs. shall be valued at $55,000.00 and taxed at $175.00 per year;

   (5) 55,000 to 63,280 lbs. shall be valued at $75,000.00 and taxed at $225.00 per year; and

   (6) 63,281 lbs. to maximum permitted shall be valued at $95,000.00 and taxed at $275.00 per year.

(l) The commissioner shall add the alternative ad valorem tax in subsection (k) of this Code section to the vehicle registration fees in subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this Code section, prior to apportionment of those fees. The alternative ad valorem tax shall be apportioned on the same basis and in the same manner as the apportionable registration fees and collected at the same time.

(m) (1) The alternative ad valorem tax imposed by this Code section shall be collected by the commissioner and shall be distributed annually from the separate, segregated fund not later than April 1 of the calendar year immediately following the calendar year in which such taxes were paid to the commissioner, in the manner provided for in this subsection.

   (2) Each year, the distributions of alternative ad valorem tax proceeds under this subsection shall be based upon the immediately preceding year's tax digest of each participating tax authority submitted to and approved by the commissioner. If such digest has not been submitted and approved, the commissioner shall, for purposes of this subsection, utilize in its place the most recently submitted and approved tax digest of such participating tax jurisdiction.

   (3) (A) One percent of the alternative ad valorem tax collected by the commissioner shall be paid into the general fund of the state treasury in order to defray costs of administration.

      (B) Except for the amount provided in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, the remaining proceeds of the alternative ad valorem tax shall be divided among each tax jurisdiction of this state. Such tax jurisdictions shall be limited to only a county, municipality, county school district, and independent school district which levies or causes to be levied for their benefit a property tax on real and tangible personal property.

      (C) The distribution shall be made according to the proportion that the amount of ad valorem taxes to be collected by a tax jurisdiction under the tax digest specified under paragraph (2) of this subsection bears to the total amount of ad valorem taxes to be collected for all purposes applicable to real and tangible personal property in this state for the immediately preceding calendar year.

Code 1981, § 48-10-2.1, enacted by Ga. L. 1990, p. 1883, § 6; Ga. L. 1992, p. 771, § 28; Code 1981, § 40-2-152, as redesignated by Ga. L. 2002, p. 1074, §§ 1, 5; Ga. L. 2004, p. 1063, § 2; Ga. L. 2008, p. 835, § 5/SB 437; Ga. L. 2013, p. 32, § 2/HB 463.