Georgia ballot measure would cap increases in homes' taxable value to curb higher property taxes

A sign announcing a home for sale is posted outside a home Feb. 1, 2024, in Kennesaw, Ga., near Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

For Georgians unhappy about rising property tax bills, lawmakers say they have a solution — a limit on how much of a home’s increasing value can be taxed.

With early balloting underway, voters are deciding on a state constitutional amendment that would limit increases in a home’s value for property tax purposes to the broader rate of inflation each year. It’s one of three statewide ballot measures that Georgia voters will decide on this election year.

Supporters say Georgia Amendment 1 — as it’s called on the ballot — will protect current homeowners from ever-higher property tax bills, but opponents warn that the caps will unfairly shift the burden onto new homeowners, renters and other property holders.