Georgia
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute: Sensible Tax Change to State Income Taxes Would Raise $450 Million
January 14, 2013
Georgia is one of a few states that allows a deduction for state income taxes for filers who itemize. Repealing it would bring in an estimated $450 million, which in K-12 education alone, could have prevented the six furlough days and additional cuts to the education funding formula in the amended budget. Repealing it prevents […]
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute: Advancing Georgia’s 1930s Tax System to the Modern Day: Fair and Adequate Tax Reform for 21st Century Georgians
January 14, 2013
The recommendations in this report contain tax reform options that stress a workable combination of raising enough money to meet Georgia’s needs, updating the tax system to reflect today’s economy, keeping rates as low as possible, and tying the system more closely to ability to pay than it is now. Read the Full Report (PDF)
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute: Reducing Exemptions is Good Tax Reform – But Taxing Groceries is Highly Regressive
January 14, 2013
All exemptions, credits, and deductions should be examined and weighed against each other and against the principles of tax reform. The grocery exemption, in particular, increases equity and should be weighed against other tax breaks with an equity lens. Eliminating the deduction for state income taxes offers an alternative worth considering. Read the Full Report […]
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute: ALMOST THERE…Tax Council’s Recommendations Improve Finances,but Shift Taxes onto Vulnerable and Working Georgians
January 14, 2013
The Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians provided recommendations that make improvements to structural issues plaguing Georgia’s tax system. The Tax Council took strong action to broaden tax bases—a tenet of good tax policy. In the sales tax, the Tax Council recommended expanding the tax base to services, which would allow the […]
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute: Additional Adjustment Options to Improve Fairness in the Tax Recommendations
January 14, 2013
The Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians provided recommendations that make improvements to structural issues plaguing Georgia’s tax system. The Tax Council took strong action to broaden tax bases—a tenet of good tax policy. Although the Tax Council’s recommendations would improve Georgia’s ability to meet current and future needs, they would do […]
Chattanooga Times Free Press: Liberal group raps state tax regressivity
January 7, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) By: Andy Sher Thursday, November 19, 2009 NASHVILLE — The Tennessee and Alabama tax systems are among the nation’s worst when it comes to favoring the rich over the poor and middle class, according to a study by a Washington-based research organization. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberalleaning […]
The Atlanta Journal Constitution: Our view: Tax cuts made at risky time and with no sense
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) Sunday, April 26, 2009 To understand the skewed priorities of our state Legislature, imagine that you come home to discover that your house is ablaze. Do you pour water on it? Or gasoline? The General Assembly would choose gasoline. This year, faced with rapidly declining tax revenues that threaten to deepen […]
Athens Banner-Herald: Officials consider tax caps
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) By BLAKE AUED | [email protected] | Story updated at 10:45 pm on 6/21/2009 Low-income Athens homeowners would get a tax break under a proposal Athens-Clarke commissioners will consider this summer. A group of commissioners and other officials are beginning work on “circuit breakers,” a policy that caps property taxes based on […]
The Atlanta Journal Constitution: At Ga. Legislature, wisdom and justice sacrificed for obsession
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) Jay Bookman (http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog) 6:45 am January 19, 2010, by Jay Last year, with the economy collapsing and state tax revenue already in free fall, Georgia legislators paused on their way out the door to pass a major last-minute tax cut. Fully implemented, the 50 percent reduction in capital-gains tax would have […]
Chattanooga Times Free Press: Georgia hurting for funds
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) Sunday, March 7, 2010By Ashley Speagle, Correspondent ATLANTA — Budget and policy experts say Georgia may face a $3 billion budget hole in fiscal 2012 if legislators continue to neglect revenue options to replenish state funds. “Legislators are now in crisis mode, and there’s no long-term discussion,” said Allan Essig, executive […]
Connect Savannah: Robin Hood in reverse
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) May 25, 2010 Pending legislation could drain much needed revenue and hurt lowincomefamilies. By Patrick Rodgers Included amongst the stack of bills passed by the Georgia legislature this session are several that could have a significant negative impact on the state’s revenue, shifting even more of the tax burden onto low–income […]
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Barnes plan: Remove capital gains tax for 2 years
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) Candidates says break would pay for itself; experts disagree By Jeremy Redmon The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, October 13, 2010 Democratic candidate for governor Roy Barnes appeared alongside a pair of local businessmen at a news conference in Midtown Atlanta’s Technology Square this month, trumpeting his plan to revive Georgia’s […]
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Tweaks will create real tax reform
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) By Sarah Beth Gehl 8:33 p.m. Friday, January 28, 2011 The Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness took a swing at fixing Georgia’s outdated tax system and hit a triple. The Council’s recommendations would help align Georgia revenues with the 21st-century economy and meet the current and future needs of […]
Athens Banner-Herald: Tax Council hits triple on reform
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) Published Wednesday, February 02, 2011 The Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness, created last year by the state legislature, took a swing at fixing Georgia’s outdated tax system and hit a triple. The council’s recommendations would help align Georgia revenues with the 21st-century economy and meet the current and future […]
Tallahassee Democrat: Tobacco tax, It’s a symptom of bad fiscal habits
January 3, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) November 22, 2009 It’s a symptom of bad fiscal habits When the Legislature was debating last spring whether to raise money by substantially boosting the taxes on tobacco, a couple of arguments were all that caused even a pause in enthusiasm for this “sin tax.” One was that it would likely […]
The Birmingham News: Our View: The nation’s lowest-tax state reaps the nation’s highest amount from its poorest taxpayers
December 21, 2012
(PDF of Original Post) Alabama stands atop two national rankings. Auburn fans should be upset. But so should fans of the Crimson Tide. Obviously, we’re not talking BCS and AP pre-season college football rankings. Instead, we’re talking about two seemingly contradictory rankings of the state’s tax system that expose just how screwy it is. Alabamians […]
Montgomery Advertiser: Editorial: Are state’s taxes low? Not for all
December 21, 2012
(PDF of Original Post) August 15, 2010 Which statement is true? 1. Compared to the rest of the nation, Alabamians pay a low rate of state and local taxes. 2. Compared to the rest of the nation, Alabamians pay a high rate of state and local taxes. Actually, both statements can be true, or they […]
Daily World (LA): Analyst says tax holiday not prudent
December 21, 2012
August 5, 2011 BATON ROUGE — State officials say the sales tax holiday today and Saturday only costs the state $3.7 million, but the director of the Louisiana Budget Project says that money has to come from somewhere. Louisiana’s sales tax holiday Friday and Saturday is one of the most generous in the nation, said […]
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Effort to kill Missouri income tax has begun in earnest
December 21, 2012
Original Post September 26, 2011 by Virginia Young JEFFERSON CITY • Wrestling with your state income tax return? Missouri legislators are weighing a plan that would do away with that chore. But before you celebrate, be aware that it’s not a tax cut. While state individual and corporate income taxes would be eliminated, the lost […]
Georgia Budget & Policy Institute: Georgia’s Income Tax: Essential for State’s Economy and Families
December 17, 2012
Plans to eliminate or drastically cut income taxes and replace them with other levies are in vogue in several states. But Georgia policymakers would do well to ignore the siren’s call. Such a tax shift would do nothing to help the state’s economy and would, in fact, hurt families and businesses by eroding support for […]
Orlando Sentinel: Shamu the shrewd? SeaWorld sees record earnings – and no income tax
December 17, 2012
(Originial Post) 5:56 p.m. EST, April 4, 2012| By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment had a banner year in 2011. Attendance and guest spending rose across its U.S. theme parks. Earnings set a company record. But SeaWorld won’t have to pay a dime in federal income tax. It will not have to […]
Business Week: A Tax Windfall From the Housing Bust
December 17, 2012
(Original Post) By Amanda J. Crawford on April 26, 2012 As Karen Jacobs, an economist in Arizona’s Department of Revenue, was reviewing income tax data for 2010, she came across a puzzling trend: Refunds were down and tax liability was up even though the state’s unemployment rate peaked that year, at 10.8 percent. “My first […]
South Maryland News: O’Malley reflects on gas tax, transportation funding
December 17, 2012
Friday, May. 11, 2012 by Danielle E. Gaines, Staff Writer The following story was updated at 2:50 p.m. May 11. Gov. Martin O’Malley reiterated the need for increased transportation funding in the state this week, while acknowledging that his gas tax proposal was a long shot politically. “There is no revenue proposal more unpopular in […]
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Southerners much of the 47 percent
December 17, 2012
By Alan Essig It’s time to put an end to the rumor that nearly half of Americans don’t have any “skin in the game” when it comes to paying taxes. This popular claim of late among politicians both in Georgia and on the national stage is part of a broader narrative that government is creating […]
State governments provide a wide array of tax breaks for their elderly residents. Almost every state levying an income tax now sensibly allows some form of income tax exemption or credit for its over-65 citizens that is unavailable to non-elderly taxpayers. But many states have enacted poorly-targeted, unnecessarily expensive elderly income tax breaks that make state tax systems less sustainable and less fair. This policy brief surveys approaches to elderly income tax relief and suggests options for reforming state tax breaks for seniors.
Institute on Taxation
and Economic Policy
ITEP is a non-profit, non-partisan tax policy organization. We conduct rigorous analyses of tax and economic proposals and provide data-driven recommendations to shape equitable and sustainable tax systems.
Subscribe to ITEP Emails
Tax research and policy news in your inbox.
Promote Fair Tax Policy
Your gift to ITEP promotes tax justice. With your help, we do research that supports taxing millionaires and billionaires, taxing big corporations and raising revenue for the things our people, our communities and our planet need.
Together, we can create a country with more economic justice, more racial justice, more climate justice… and more tax justice.