Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, February 7,2013
2 Sections, 14 Pages
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Car Tax Calculations To Change
New Title Ad Valorem Tax System Takes Effect March 1 st
By Victoria Simmons
The Georgia Post
As if enough things have not
changed in recent years, March
1, 2013 will bring another change
as Georgia’s new vehicle tax laws
become effective.
The new system was created by
the General Assembly in 2012. It
does away with what is called the
annual “birthday tax” on vehicles
purchased after March 1, 2013. In
its place will be a one-time state
and local title ad valorem tax paid
at the time the owner registers the
vehicle.You do not have to worry
about it unless ownership of the
vehicle is transferred through a title
exchange after March 1, 2013. All
other vehicles will continue to be
taxed under the current system and
owners will pay the annual “birth
day tax” until they no longer hold
title to the vehicle.
This is a major change to the way
taxes are paid on motor vehicles.
“People need to fully understand
that the cost to title a vehicle is
going to be higher than what they
may have previously experienced,”
saidACCG (Association County
Commissioners of Georgia) Legis
lative Director Clint Mueller. “The
trade-off is they will not have to
pay sales tax if they have tradition
ally purchased a vehicle through a
dealership and they will not have
the annual ad valorem tax to pay
every year.”
The title ad valorem tax is collect
ed by the county tax commissioner
before a new title is issued and the
vehicle is registered. The new tax is
calculated at the rate of 6.5 percent
of the vehicle’s value, not the sales
price.
If another vehicle is traded in
during the sale, that trade-in value
is deducted before the tax is calcu
lated.
All vehicles purchased after
March 1,2013 are subject to the
new system regardless of where it
is purchased. That means vehicles
purchased through private sales that
were previously exempt from sales
tax will be subject to the title ad
valorem tax.
Other important changes taking
effect March 1, 2013:
•Vehicles transferred from anoth
er state to Georgia will be subject
to the title ad valorem tax in two
installment payments, in addition
to the title and registration fees they
were responsible for in the past.
•Leased vehicles will still be
subject to a use tax on the monthly
lease payment. The dealership is
responsible for paying the title ad
valorem tax and may include this
cost in the term of the lease.
•Vehicle titles transferred between
family members, including spouses,
parents, children, siblings, grand
parents or grandchildren, will be
handled as follows:
- Vehicles owned prior to March
1, 2013: The family member who
is titling the vehicle has the option
to pay the full title ad valorem tax
or continue to pay the annual ad
valorem tax under the old system.
- Vehicles purchased on or after
March 1, 2013: The family mem
ber who is titling the vehicle is
subject to a 0.5% title ad valorem
tax.
•Title applications must be
processed in the county where the
vehicle is to be registered.
•Salvage vehicles and vehicles
donated to charities will pay a re
duced title ad valorem tax at a rate
ofl%.
•Certain veterans who were
exempt from annual motor vehicle
ad valorem tax will also be exempt
from the title ad valorem tax.
The Crawford County Tax
Commissioner and employees
recently attended training for this
new system. For more information
you can contact that office or go to
www.etax.dor.ga.gov and click on
“More Vehicles” and then the “Tax
Calculator” button or www.accg.org
and click on “Motor Vehicle Tax
Reform.”
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What is missing from this picture? Do not have a clue? Well, it is the big tree
which was, up until last year, used as the community Christmas tree. The tree
has been removed just recently because it was blocking the views. Upon inves
tigation at the park, you really cannot tell where the tree once stood.
CCHS Now A ‘Reward School’
By Abigail Adams
The Georgia Post
The past year has been a
rewarding one for Crawford
County High School and it
seems they are continuing
on with their streak of good
fortune. Through the hard
work and dedication of many
of the teachers at the school,
CCHS has been designated
a “Reward School” by the
Georgia Department of Educa
tion (GDOE), a big jump from
their previous spot as a “needs
improvement” school. This
designation means that CCHS
has scored in the top 10% of
all Georgia schools based on
its performance on End-of-
Course-Tests (EOCT) over the
past three years.
Because of the change in the
way the GDOE scores schools
it is difficult to tell exactly how
many levels the high school
jumped in attaining their
“Reward School” status. The
GDOE has dropped the No
Child Left Behind (NCLB)
and AYP in the last year and
has instead turned to the more
comprehensive College and
Career Ready Performance
Index (CCRPI). Under the
NCLB the school was consid
ered a NI-2 school because of
low graduation rates.
The CCRPI rates schools
on 19 critical factors such as
percent of students scoring
at meets or exceeds on the 8
EOCTs, percent of students
completing a CTAE pathway,
or an advanced academic
pathway, fine arts pathway, or
world language pathway, stu
dent attendance rates, a 4 year
cohort graduation rate, and a 5
year extended cohort gradua
tion rate among many others.
Many different strategies
have been used to help the
school reach the designation
and principal, Mike Camp
bell extends congratulations
to the teachers and students
implementing these new
strategies. Among the strate
gies were benchmarking,
student-centered classrooms,
and increased literacy-based
strategies. The school also con
tinued and refined some of the
things they have been doing
such as standards-based lesson
planning, concept mapping,
differentiated instruction, and
technology-based instruction.
“A combination of these
See REWARD, Page 10
Way Of The Peaceful Warrior
TKMAA Celebrates Anniversary In New Building
By Abigail Adams
The Georgia Post
For the last four years two
Miami, Florida natives have
brought their brand of warrior
to the peaceful town of Ro
berta. Master James A. Stubbs
and his wife, Trenesia, owners
of The Korean Martial Arts
Academy in Roberta, GA
have been teaching children
and adults not to fight but
to defend themselves in the
way of the peaceful warrior
(Pyeong Jeon Sa Do). The
art itself has over 2,000 years
of history and tradition and
emphasizes self defense, self-
respect, and the development
of harmony of mind, body
and spirit through mental and
physical fitness.
In 1999 the couple partnered
with at-risk youth in Miami,
Florida for ten years helping
children and teens in difficult
situations. In 2008 they moved
to Georgia and very soon to
the quiet community of Ro
berta after they began teaching
at the Crawford County Boys
and Girls Club in 2009. Later
that year they began training
adult students at CGTC and
then finally moved to their
own location on the square.
This year they have moved
into the historical building
next to Crafty Mama’s Con
signment Shop to allow room
for growth.
“We jumped at the opportu
nity to move to our new loca
tion because it gives us room
to grow. That’s what we’ve
been doing. Growing! We now
average about 45 students,”
Trenesia stated and classes are
not just for children. “At this
stage of our growth we are
looking to increase students in
our adult classes. Martial Arts
and the skills aquired through
training are not only for
children. Carving out time for
ourselves is one of the biggest
challenges adults and parents
face in our hectic world. Our
adult students leam to defend
themselves and acquire the
ability to confidently protect
themselves and loved ones
from aggression.”
The couple offer two types
of adult classes, splitting them
into two aptly named catego
ries, the Steven Segal class
and the Chuck Norris class.
The Segal class emphasizes
take-downs, tweaks, balance,
and ki manipulation while the
Norris class focuses more
kicking, spinning, and punch
ing. Stubbs says that most
adults take a combination
of the two classes attending
one of each during the week
(Segal is held on Mondays
and Wednesdays and Norris is
held on Tuesdays and Thurs
days).
“Our adult students gain an
hour in which they may get
fit and reduce stress. Mas
ter Stubbs is also learned in
meditation, ki energy, and
acupressure (an alternative
medicine technique which is
a blend of “acupuncture” and
“pressure”). So adults and ma
ture adults are very welcome
and will find an incompa
rable value and a way to stay
healthy.”
The academy currently only
offers classes four days a week
with training for children start
ing with their Little Dragons
(5-6 years old) starting at 4:30
p.m. and adult classes starting
at 7:30 p.m. with other youth
age groups in between, but
See WARRIOR, Page 10
Trenesia and Janies Stubbs of The Korean Martial
Arts Academy when they first opened.
