Investment Tax Credit

Investment tax credits help Georgia businesses grow by making it more affordable to expand and improve facilities.
Companies in manufacturing or telecommunications support that have operated in Georgia for at least three years are eligible to earn investment tax credits for upgrades or expansions. Credit earned amounts to 1 percent to 8 percent of qualified capital investments of $50,000 or more.

The credit is calculated using two factors:

• Geographic location. Companies in the state's less prosperous counties receive larger credits.
• Type of investment. Companies that invest in recycling equipment, pollution control or in converting a defense plant manufacturing facility to a new product earn tax credits of 3 percent to 8 percent of their capital outlay. Investment in general equipment for manufacturing or telecommunications services earns tax credits of 1 percent to 5 percent.

Investment tax credits can be used to offset up to 50 percent of a company's Georgia corporate income tax liability. If the earned credit exceeds that limit, then the unused credit can be carried forward for up to 10 years and applied to future years' tax liability.

Companies should compare the benefits of the investment tax credit with those of the job tax credit, as taxpayers are allowed to claim one or the other, but not both.