Trustee Bill Hullander told members of the Pachyderm Club on Monday that Hamilton County residents fare much better tax-wise than residents of nearby Georgia counties.
The main factor, he said, is the state income tax that Georgia residents have to bear.
"I am thankful to members of our Legislature who made sure that will never happen in Tennessee," Mr. Hullander said.
He said the annual property load for a Hamilton County couple with a $100,000 home, $85,000 income and two vehicles is $4,738.
That includes $691 for property tax, $3,975 for sales tax, $52 for auto registration, and $20 for emission tests.
That compares to $8,616 per year for a Walker County, Ga., couple, he said. That couple would have $890 in property tax, $3,008 in sales tax, $381 in ad valorem vehicle tax, and $4,336 in state income tax.
Trustee Hullander said the tax load in Bradley County would be $4,809.
It would be $8,587 in Dade County and $8,573 in Catoosa County.
In Williamson County, with the highest land values in Tennessee, the tax burden would be over $1,800.
Of the county's favorable tax situation, the speaker said, "People know this. That is why so many businesses are coming to Hamilton County. In the entire United States, I cannot think of a county doing any better than Hamilton County."
He told the club, "If you were buying everything in Hamilton County, the price would be $25 billion." He said that is the county's appraised land value.
That amount brings in $211 million in property taxes. His office also collects $17 million in personalty (equipment) tax, $9 million in state law on such items as cell towers, and $6 million in hotel-motel tax.
The 10 largest taxpayers in Hamilton County are:
EPB
TVA
VW
CBL & Associates
BlueCross BlueShield
McKee Bakery
Tennessee-American Water Company
Walmart
Norfolk Southern Railroad