Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026

Fact brief: Do sales taxes disproportionately affect lower income residents in Georgia

yes

Individuals and families making less money spend relatively more of their income on goods impacted by sales tax when compared to higher income individuals and families.

Bibb County employs a Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, a Local Option Sales Tax and an Other Local Option Sales Tax for property tax rollback.

Georgia boasts an average local sales tax rate of 3.44%, higher than Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.

In Georgia, groceries and gas are exempt from sales tax.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Breaking the bank eliminating the state income tax harms most Georgians and increases the cost of living
Northeastern University Sales Taxes and Their Impact on Low-Income Households

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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network.

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Fact brief: Do sales taxes disproportionately affect lower income residents in Georgia

Sources

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