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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2007 > April > 13 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USProperty tax cut included in budget deal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Taxpayers would receive about a $100 property tax cut under a budget deal given final approval by the General Assembly this morning.
The measure passed the House 166-0 and the Senate 48-0. The deal still must be signed into law by Gov. Sonny Perdue.
House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram), said he hopes the tax break will come in the form of a check counties send to property owners in coming months. Or homeowners could get a tax credit on the annual property tax bill they receive.
“We’re still working on the details,” Richardson said.
The measure will save taxpayers — and cost state coffers — $142 million.
“You are giving tax relief to the citizens of Georgia. It’s something you can all be proud of,” House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans), told his colleagues this morning.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Hill (R-Reidsville) said, “Sending money back to taxpayers is the right thing to do.”
House leaders proposed the tax cut after they reached an impasse with Senate leaders on the mid-year budget for fiscal 2007, which ends June 30.
Members of the House felt the Senate had portrayed them as big spenders because they’d tried to include projects such museum funding and Gov. Sonny Perdue’s “Go Fish Georgia” fishing tourism program in the mid-year budget.
The Senate gutted the mid-year budget of those projects, and the two sides did not appear near a deal when they began negotiations Tuesday.
Under the deal being approved today, the mid-year budget will provide $81 million to prop up the PeachCare health insurance program for children of the working poor, more than $9 million to keep the public defender’s system afloat and about $40 million to aid the startup of a new Kia car plant in West Georgia.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: politics
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By Bill Kecskes
April 13, 2007 1:13 PM | Link to this
Chairman Harbin: The General Assembly is not “giving” the $100 to taxpayers; you are refunding the money to its rightful owners. Tax money does not belong to legislators. It belongs to taxpayers.
That said; why is HB 95 being loaded up with pet pork projects of legislators? Why is a $2,000,000 parking garage in Hall County in HB 95? Why can’t Hall County pay for their own parking garage? Why is $1,500,000 being appropriated for a library in Speaker Richardson’s hometown? Why can’t Paulding County residents pay for their own library? Why is $355,000 being wasted in Augusta for a Golf Hall of Fame Museum? Why can’t the residents of Augusta pay for their own museum if they want one?
Why is $6,000,000 being appropriated to “secret projects” that won’t be revealed until the end of the session? What kind of pork and waste are you hiding? Taxpayers deserve to know what’s in the budget before legislators vote!
I’m afraid the $100 tax refund was a diversionary tactic so taxpayers won’t know how much pork and waste is being loaded up in HB 95.
Chairman Harbin, Mr. Speaker: cut the crap, cut the pork and quit porking hard working Georgia taxpayers! It’s our money, not yours!