Bill > HB874

This bill, known as the Georgia Taxpayer Privacy Protection Act, aims to safeguard taxpayer privacy by prohibiting the inclusion of taxpayer telephone numbers in property tax records that are sold, transferred, or shared with third parties. While Georgia law generally makes property tax records public to ensure government transparency, this bill recognizes that telephone numbers are not essential for this purpose and can be misused for commercial solicitation, fraud, or identity theft. Therefore, it amends existing law to prevent tax authorities from including these numbers in publicly accessible records, whether physical or electronic, including data sales or responses to open records requests. Exceptions are made for internal government use for tax collection or enforcement, court-ordered disclosures, or when the taxpayer has given written consent. Violators face a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for negligent or knowing disclosures, and such violations are also considered unfair or deceptive business practices under the Fair Business Practices Act. The bill also mandates that tax commissioners establish policies and procedures to implement these new privacy protections.

Budget and Finance

https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71841