Gold Dome Live is moving!
Our new spot will allow us to get the news to you even faster and make commenting easier. Please bookmark the new site and sign up for our rss feed:
http://blogs.ajc.com/gold-dome-live/
AJC.com > Legislature > Georgia Beat > Archives > 2005 > February > 09 > Entry
House approves small tax break for teachers buying supplies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia House today unanimously approved the governor’s plan to give teachers a modest tax break for spending their personal money on classroom supplies.
The bill, which passed 163-0, would allow teachers to deduct $250 worth of school supplies from their state income taxes — saving them about $15 a year.
Teachers can already claim that deduction on their federal income tax return.
State Rep. Jay Roberts (R-Ocilla), who is carrying the bill for Gov. Sonny Perdue, acknowledged that it’s not much money. “But anything we can do for our teachers — no matter how large or how small — I think we should do,” Roberts said. “We need to send a message back to our teachers that we appreciate what they do.”
State Rep. Lynmore James (D-Montezuma) said a $1,000 tax credit would be more appropriate. “This [$250 tax deduction] is a long way from justice for these teachers,” James said.
The tax break for Georgia’s 100,000 teachers is expected to cost the state about $1.8 million, Roberts said.
Permalink | |
