Cities’ Business License Dispute to Head to Georgia Supreme Court

May 14, 2012

The dispute over the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and under whose jurisdiction it falls has taken on state attention when the Georgia Supreme Court agreed to preside over the million-dollar disagreement. The city that can legally claim rights to the airport has the authority to collect millions of dollars in occupational taxes paid by the numerous businesses operating in the airport.

While the businesses at the airport have been paying Atlanta business license taxes, a ruling by the Georgia Court of Appeals last June decreed that the City of College Park really has the authority to collect the business license fees from the airport businesses. Aside for the loss of income for Atlanta, the city would have to repay College Park for an enormous amount of business license taxes that were collected over the years.

Additionally, the City of Atlanta would have to file for a College Park business license and pay College Park occupational license fees for all the space it owns and rents out at the airport.

Atlanta city officials didn’t take the ruling of the Georgia Court of Appeals lightly and have requested an appeal by the Georgia Supreme Court. Circumstances, however don’t seem to be in the City of Atlanta’s favor as three of the Supreme Court Justices have already expressed their solidarity with the City of College Park.

AJC.com reports that ‘oral arguments will take place this fall.’

If the Georgia Supreme Court rules in College Park’s favor, business owners at the airport may find themselves entangled in a mess of paperwork as they rush to cancel their business licenses with the City of Atlanta and get the now required College Park business licenses. Business Licenses’ Outsourced Business License Management Service allows big businesses to outsource business license filing, maintenance and renewal for all their required business licenses & permits with every licensing authority in the U.S.

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