An Introduction to the GCA Economic Impact Calculator

The Georgia Council for the Arts Economic Impact Calculator (EIC) is an easily accessible web-based tool that computes the effect of the arts on local economies. It was specifically created for Georgia’s nonprofit arts industry by Bruce Seaman, a renowned professor of economics at Georgia State University who also developed a similar tool for the Georgia Department of Economic Development.  

The GCA EIC provides useful data that is simple to understand and relevant across governmental districts. With a limited number of data entry fields such as population and tax rates, the results are immediately available in four critical economic areas.

• Total County Economic Impact is a measure of the effect of an organization’s arts programming within its resident county
• Total County Tax Revenue is linked, and similar, to local option sales taxes as well as the hotel-motel tax in the organization’s county of operation
• Total City/Municipality Revenue determines revenue that accrues uniquely to the city in which an organization operates and is different from county revenue
• Total Georgia Tax Revenue is the big picture generated by the EIC and is limited to sales tax revenue only which does not include incremental sales tax revenue*

*Definitions and more information regarding specific terms are available in TECHNICAL NOTES