It's not too often that legislation being discussed at the state level will impact Georgia football, but a new bill being discussed will surely have a massive impact.
Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) has dominated college athletics ever since it was enacted a few years ago. And the main conversation surrounding NIL is which programs have the most and are able to dominate recruiting because of it and which programs are falling behind.
Thankfully Georgia has always been a program at the very top of NIL across the country, and Kirby Smart has used that to his advantage. But this bill being discussed would take UGA to an even higher level when it comes to NIL.
A new Georgia state Senate bill would exempt NIL compensation received by college athletes from the state income tax if passed.
— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) February 4, 2025
Georgia institutions are already allowed to pay athletes directly for NIL.
More: https://t.co/odB95jX1FG pic.twitter.com/v7oOJwsrXf
No state income tax on NIL earnings
According to this bill, any Georgia athlete will no longer need to pay state income taxes on any NIL money they earn.
There are a few reasons why this bill would be huge for Georgia and it's athletes. For starters, athletes not having to pay state income taxes on these earnings means that they essentially make more money off any of these deals and money they earn. And the best part of all is that Georgia's athletes will make more money without Georgia having to pay them more.
The other reason why this news is significant is because it will allow Georgia to catch up to programs in other states where there is no state income tax already. Florida is a state that stands out as they have many programs Georgia competes directly against including the Florida Gators. Texas and Tennessee are two other states where there is no state income tax either.
Knowing how long things take in government to pass, it could take some time before this bill becomes law. But this is something all Georgia fans should hope becomes law as soon as possible because it will help make Georgia much more competitive in the NIL landscape.