Gwinnett hires company to handle influx of car tax appeals

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County has hired an outside company to help with the expected surge in car tax appeals.

County officials expect a lot of drivers will have an issue with Georgia's new one-time title tax.

A state law just went into effect that charges a one-time fee upon the transfer of a car title. It must be paid, whether you buy your car from a dealer or from a friend.

The fee is based on the state's assessment of the value of the car, and Gwinnett County thinks that will lead to a lot more appeals.

"The value assumes average mileage, average condition, no repairs," Gwinnett County's chief appraiser Steve Pruitt said. "How are you really going to assess a car behind a computer?"

Pruitt said he thinks his office is going to go from just about 100 appeals a year to thousands. The county said it does not have the staff to handle that, so it has decided to pay an outside company up to $175,000 to handle the expected appeals.

WSBTV