When your business prospers, the entire community flourishes. With this knowledge, Cartersville and Bartow County strive to continually improve their business-friendly environment. By design, many of the costs related to business are lower here than elsewhere. Combine the low cost of doing business with the local government’s "can-do" attitude, and new or relocating businesses will discover that Cartersville and Bartow County will become their #1 choice.

CH2M HILL/LOCKWOOD GREENE COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT OF 2006

CH2M Hill/Lockwood Greene is a $4 billion engineering, design, construction management, and consulting firm with 16,000 employees worldwide.  With sponsorship by Georgia Power, they conducted an extensive survey of Cartersville and Bartow County’s assets (leadership, strategy, and marketing) to rate the area’s business potential.  Click here to view or download the full report.

Here are some of their findings:

  • The overall cost of doing business index is 91.1, compared to the national average of 100.  This includes labor costs, real estate costs, state/local taxes, and utilities.
  • Manufacturing labor costs are generally 5%-6% less than the national average, while warehouse and distribution labor costs are slightly lower.
  • The area's low cost of doing business is considerably favorable not only for local employers, but also for many other companies considering a relocation or expansion (particularly from higher cost locations in the West and Northeast).

PROPERTY TAXES

Taxes per $1,000,000 of fair market value:

  • Bartow County - $10,672
  • City of Cartersville - $11,272
  • City of Adairsville - $12,688
  • Cities of Emerson, Kingston, White, Euharlee, & Taylorsville - $11,172

SALES TAX

Cartersville and Bartow County have a 3% local sales tax in addition to the 4% state sales tax.

FREEPORT STATUS

Georgia's Freeport Law offers manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and warehouse operations inventory tax exemption on three (3) categories of property:

1) Manufacturer's raw materials and goods in process,
2) Finished goods held by the original manufacturer, and
3) Finished goods held by distributors, wholesales, and manufacturers destined for out-of-state shipments.

Freeport Status provides a tax break on manufactured inventory at the end of the tax year.

  • City of CARTERSVILLE - 20%
  • City of ADAIRSVILLE - 80%
  • BARTOW COUNTY - 80%

STATE TAX CREDITS

Details are available on the following to fully assess a company's eligibility, and the appropriate strategy for utilization of these tools.  Bartow is a Tier 3 community with a multi-county Joint Development Authority.

  • Job Tax Credit - $1,750 per job with 15 jobs or more created in Bartow County
  • Investment Tax Credit - 1% credit with $50,000 or more invested in Bartow County
  • Optional Investment Tax Credit - 6% credit with $20 Million or more invested in Bartow County
  • Port activities may increase all three of the above
  • Also available are:
    Retraining Tax Credit, Child Care Credit, R&D Tax Credit, Small Business Growth Companies Tax Credit, Headquarters Tax Credit, Sales & Use Tax Exemptions on Manufacturing Machinery, Computer Sales & Use Tax Exemption, Primary Materials Handling Sales & Use Tax Exemption, Electricity Sales & Use Tax Exemption

LINKS

Georgia Economic Development Financing Assistance

Georgia Tax Credits

return to top