Jan 7, 2025, 7:39 AM
Jan 7, 2025, 7:39 AM

Atlanta pushes for tax credits to boost local businesses

Highlights
  • The Atlanta City Council approved a legislative package on January 6, 2025, seeking new tax credits for local businesses.
  • The council hopes the Georgia General Assembly will reconsider House Bill 1105, which mandates compliance with federal immigration laws.
  • The proposed measures aim to support local entrepreneurs, enhance public safety, and encourage affordable housing development.
Story

In Atlanta, Georgia, the City Council approved a legislative package on January 6, 2025, which includes the proposal for new tax credits aimed at local businesses. This initiative seeks to enhance access to capital for entrepreneurs in Atlanta, thereby fostering the retention and growth of local enterprises. Concurrently, the council is urging the General Assembly to reconsider House Bill 1105, a substantial piece of legislation mandating compliance with federal immigration laws. Critics express concerns regarding its financial implications for local governments and its potential impact on communities, particularly on people of color and immigrant families. Public safety remains a significant aspect of this legislative agenda. The council is advocating for specific laws intended to penalize the criminal use of artificial intelligence and to impose stricter penalties on street racing. Additionally, there is a proposal to enable cities to reduce impact fees for developers, which could potentially alleviate the affordable housing crisis faced by many residents. The fee waiver aspect would remain an option for the cities, allowing for flexibility in addressing development challenges. Moreover, the council has addressed the cumbersome requirements surrounding Special Administrative Permits (SAPs). These permits can delay projects, ranging from simple home additions to larger renovations and demolitions, due to obligatory public hearings. The city has emphasized that these requirements drain resources and prolong critical development processes, hindering both the development community and homeowners. Lastly, there is ongoing support for legislation that aims to require data centers to disclose their water consumption rates. With Georgia experiencing a surge in the establishment of data centers, transparency regarding resource usage is increasingly essential. Alongside this, there is a push from the Mayor’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs for a bill that would allow DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients and refugees to qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities in Georgia, which previously failed to pass in the 2024 session but is believed to enhance workforce diversity.

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