Taxpayer Protection False Claims Act
This is designed to protect the taxpayers from having our tax money fraudulently taken and stolen by those who are not ethical and who are cheating the system.”
–State Senator William T. Ligon, Jr., R-Brunswick, in his presentation of the bill to the General Assembly’s upper chamber in March 2012 that significantly expanded Georgia’s False Claims Act
Georgia’s Taxpayer Protection False Claims Act provides for the recovery of money obtained through the submission of false claims to any government body within the state of Georgia, including the following:
- the Georgia Medicaid program;
- any Georgia county, municipality, town, school district, or school board;
- any hospital authority;
- MARTA; and
- any other political subdivision.
The penalties for submitting a false claim are significant. Civil penalties range from $5,500 to $11,000 for each false claim, treble damages, costs, expenses, and attorneys’ fees. The relator will receive 15-25 percent of the proceeds if the government takes the case. Whistleblowers are protected from retaliation for reporting and participating in these actions.