diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GcBasicPackingTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GcBasicPackingTest.java
index 41a1a5d3f..762feed3c 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GcBasicPackingTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GcBasicPackingTest.java
@@ -47,9 +47,10 @@ import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Date;
-import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.List;
 
 import org.eclipse.jgit.junit.TestRepository.BranchBuilder;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.revwalk.RevCommit;
@@ -175,14 +176,9 @@ public class GcBasicPackingTest extends GcTestCase {
 		stats = gc.getStatistics();
 		assertEquals(0, stats.numberOfLooseObjects);
 
-		Iterator<PackFile> pIt = repo.getObjectDatabase().getPacks().iterator();
-		long c = pIt.next().getObjectCount();
-		if (c == 9)
-			assertEquals(2, pIt.next().getObjectCount());
-		else {
-			assertEquals(2, c);
-			assertEquals(9, pIt.next().getObjectCount());
-		}
+		List<PackFile> packs = new ArrayList<>(
+				repo.getObjectDatabase().getPacks());
+		assertEquals(11, packs.get(0).getObjectCount());
 	}
 
 	@Test
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsGarbageCollector.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsGarbageCollector.java
index 6f760caea..f7d078fa3 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsGarbageCollector.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsGarbageCollector.java
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ public class DfsGarbageCollector {
 			for (Ref ref : refsBefore) {
 				if (ref.isSymbolic() || ref.getObjectId() == null)
 					continue;
-				if (isHead(ref))
+				if (isHead(ref) || isTag(ref))
 					allHeads.add(ref.getObjectId());
 				else if (RefTreeNames.isRefTree(refdb, ref.getName()))
 					txnHeads.add(ref.getObjectId());
@@ -461,6 +461,10 @@ public class DfsGarbageCollector {
 		return ref.getName().startsWith(Constants.R_HEADS);
 	}
 
+	private static boolean isTag(Ref ref) {
+		return ref.getName().startsWith(Constants.R_TAGS);
+	}
+
 	private int objectsBefore() {
 		int cnt = 0;
 		for (DfsPackFile p : packsBefore)
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GC.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GC.java
index 560db9240..d67b9fa29 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GC.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/GC.java
@@ -607,7 +607,7 @@ public class GC {
 			nonHeads.addAll(listRefLogObjects(ref, 0));
 			if (ref.isSymbolic() || ref.getObjectId() == null)
 				continue;
-			if (ref.getName().startsWith(Constants.R_HEADS))
+			if (isHead(ref) || isTag(ref))
 				allHeads.add(ref.getObjectId());
 			else if (RefTreeNames.isRefTree(refdb, ref.getName()))
 				txnHeads.add(ref.getObjectId());
@@ -660,6 +660,14 @@ public class GC {
 		return ret;
 	}
 
+	private static boolean isHead(Ref ref) {
+		return ref.getName().startsWith(Constants.R_HEADS);
+	}
+
+	private static boolean isTag(Ref ref) {
+		return ref.getName().startsWith(Constants.R_TAGS);
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * @param ref
 	 *            the ref which log should be inspected