Georgia legislators introduce bill to exempt NIL compensation from state income tax
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Georgia Senate legislators filed a bill on Monday that would exempt NIL compensation received by college athletes from the state income tax.
Introduced by Senators Brandon Beach, Greg Dolezal, Ben Watson, Carden Summers and Frank Ginn, the bill would create a distinct recruiting advantage for Georgia universities, with SEC football powerhouse Georgia at the head of that list of state schools.
Georgia currently has a state income tax rate of 5.39%. This bill would put Georgia schools on equal footing with Tennessee, Florida and Texas, which happen to be states with SEC schools.
The Peach State has set its institutions up for success in the NIL Era. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order in September prohibiting the NCAA from taking “adverse action” against an institution for compensating an athlete for NIL.
Georgia is just the latest state to craft a bill that would put its universities and athletes at an advantage against the NCAA. Schools across the country are operating under a patchwork of state laws. Lawmakers in Missouri and Texas have passed bills in recent years to prevent the NCAA from launching investigations into NIL activities. Missouri’s NIL law allows high school recruits to enter into NIL deals and start earning endorsement money as soon as they sign with in-state colleges.
This bill would directly benefit Kirby Smart’s Georgia program going forward, if in fact it passes, of course.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
