Incorporation in Georgia

Find the right Business Incorporation attorney in Atlanta, GA

Georgia law allows a business to incorporate and be identified as its own legal entity. When an incorporated business acts, whether it is to buy and sell property, agree to contracts or exercise legal rights, the process is then attributable to the business itself and not its owners. A business looking to incorporate in Georgia must file with the Secretary of State in accordance with established guidelines.

Benefits of Incorporation in Georgia

An incorporated business enjoys certain advantages, the most important being a limit of liability for the shareholders. The most shareholders can lose is the amount they invest in the business. If the business had remained a personal asset of the owners, they could run the risk of losing their personal property to pay for the company's financial liabilities in case of default. Furthermore, a business that has not incorporated puts the unnecessary burden on creditors in the Atlanta area to evaluate the credit worthiness of individual owners rather than that of the business, making loans more difficult. Finally, the ownership stake in a corporation can be apportioned into uniform slices, known as "shares" of stock. This makes it possible to sell ownership investments in more manageable slices.

Costs of Incorporation

Incorporation can be costly. First, a modest filing fee might be charged in Georgia for any business that wants to incorporate. Also, a corporation is taxed as its own entity. Disbursements to the owners of the corporation are also taxed as individual income, so this means earnings might be taxed twice. But this double taxation can be avoided with proper planning and help from a local Atlanta lawyer.

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Life in Atlanta

Atlanta has the highest population of any city in the State of Georgia with just under 500,000 people. The Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport as been the world's busiest airport since 1998. That's two years after the city hosted the 100th Olympic Games. Atlanta is the seat of Fulton County government as well as for the entire State of Georgia. Atlantans work for some of the most well known companies who have world headquarters located in the city. The Coca-Cola Company, ATT, UPS, Turner Broadcasting, The Home Depot, and UPS are just a few of the nearly 75% of Fortune's 1000 who have operations in Atlanta. All that industry grosses the city over billion each year. All of the productivity doesn't mean it comes at a lack of greenery.

Atlanta is known both as the "City of Trees" and the "City in a Forest" for the dense tree cover that blankets nearly 40% of downtown. It's the most dense tree cover of any American city. The Atlanta Botanical Garden even offers a Canopy Walk through 600 feet of canopy at 40-feet into the trees. Other city attractions include the Georgia Aquarium, Fox Theatre, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, World of Coca-Cola, Delta Heritage Museum, Carter Center and Presidential Library, and Atlanta sports teams draw patrons from across the globe.

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