State revenues up in November

Special to the News

Updated: Dec 14, 2013, 10:00 PM

Published: Dec 13, 2013, 3:45 PM

Gov. Nathan Deal announced Tuesday that Georgia’s net tax collections for November totaled $1.39 billion, an increase of nearly $49 million, or 3.6 percent, compared to the month-ended November 2012.
Year-to-date, net tax-revenue collections totaled $7.34 billion for an increase of $378.0 million, or 5.4 percent, compared to the same point last year.
Changes within the following major tax categories explain the net tax-revenue increase in November:

Individual income tax
Collections for November totaled $694.25 million — down from $701.5 million in November 2012, for a decrease of $7.25 million, or minus-1 percent.
The following notable components combine for the net decrease:
• Individual withholding payments for November were up $4.75 million, or 0.7 percent
• Individual income-tax refunds issued (net of voided checks) were up $22.0 million, or 75.1 percent
• All other Individual categories, including return payments, were up a combined $10 million

Sales and use tax
Collections declined nearly $17.25 million, or minus-2.1 percent, compared to last year. Collections for November decreased $11.75 million, or minus-2.7 percent — down from $435 million in FY 2013 to roughly $423.5 million in FY 2014. Lastly, the adjusted monthly sales-tax distribution to local governments totaled $374.5 million, which was a decrease of $3.85 million compared to FY 2013.

Corporate-income tax
Collections for November increased $10.5 million, or 109.8 percent, compared to last year when revenues and refunds netted to $9.5 million.
The following notable components make up the net increase:
• Corporate-tax refunds issued (net of voided checks) were down roughly $4.0 million, or minus-13.5 percent
• Corporate income-tax payments for November increased nearly $8.5 million, or 956.2 percent
• All other corporate-tax categories, including estimated payments, combined for a decrease of $2 million

Motor-fuel taxes
Motor-fuel taxes accounted for an increase of nearly $5.75 million, or 6.8 percent, during November 2012, which is consistent with the bi-annual rate adjustment taking place at the beginning of the fiscal year. As of July 1, the average prepaid state tax rate for FY 2014 is roughly 4.1 percent higher than the first-half tax rate in FY 2013.

Motor-vehicle tag and title fees
Collections totaled nearly $70.25 million, which was $50.75 million higher than the previous year. The large year-over-year increase is the result of new tax legislation — effective March 1 — in which the new law established a title ad valorem tax to replace the traditional sales tax that was assessed on the purchase of an automobile. As a result, motor-vehicle fees have increased by an average of $55.75 million per month since the filing of March returns began in April of FY 2013.

Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port

The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

GardenCityTerminal — The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

Bryan County News

Updated: May 23, 2018, 1:59 AM

Published: May 23, 2018, 2:00 AM

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

Latest Obituaries