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Georgia Might Eliminate License Plates Registration Stickers

Georgia State Department of Revenue is studying whether to eliminate or reduce use of the registration stickers placed on license plates.

The weighing of this decision could have potentially massive effects for the state. In the last fiscal year alone, the registration decals were stuck on more than 10.7 million vehicles.

Moving toward reduced or no registration stickers wouldn’t necessarily eliminate the state’s standard $20 annual registration fee and concerns remain. Georgia drivers would still have to renew their tags, but would not have the extra task of updating their license stickers.

Law enforcement agencies have told state officials that doing away with the decals would take away the only visual clue officers have of quickly seeing if a vehicle is currently registered. Officers have said that the absence of the registration stickers can help them determine whether there might be other criminal activity.

Meanwhile, the state of Georgia could reap some financial benefits from doing away with the stickers. Georgia could save almost $2 million annually by not having to print the decals, according to a Revenue Department memo last year.

The idea of no registration stickers has been floating around for a while, but there is no definitive plan in place yet. Instead, for the first time, the Revenue Department has been tasked with researching the potential effects of this decision. Its report is due to the state Legislature by Jan. 1.