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DEL.ICIO.USPerdue: He’ll go anywhere to prove the state isn’t forcing cities or counties to raise property taxes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Freshly back from China, Gov. Sonny Perdue is ready to hit the road again. Athens, maybe Cairo, or Canton.
Any place that questions his plan to eliminate $428 million in property tax breaks for homeowners.
In an interview today with Harris Blackwood of the Gainesville Times, Perdue — echoing House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s sentiments of just a few months ago — said local governments have been slack about cutting their own expenses.
Said Perdue:
“It’s pretty clear that some counties are bigger abusers than others. There are some counties that have grown overall by 100 to 200 percent. The growth of local governments compared to state government is phenomenal.”
Perdue said he was calling on local governments to tighten their belts, just like the state….The governor said local governments are already pointing the finger at him.
“They blame and say we’re going to pass them (tax losses) right on to our citizens and you’re causing their tax increase,” he said. “I’ve got the facts to prove the state didn’t cause their tax increase. Those are decisions made at the local level. If they want to blame me, I’ll challenge any of them to a public hall meeting in their own community and show them the facts.”
Here’s today’s AJC piece on the same topic. But here’s a question, and if someone from Perdue’s office would weigh in, the Insider would be much obliged:
If the governor argues that local governments have placed too heavy a tax on property owners, how does it make sense to then raise that same tax on homeowners by $200 or $300 per, by eliminating the credit? There’s something of a burn-the-village-to-save-it logic in all this.
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Comments
By The Snark
August 20, 2008 2:52 PM | Link to this
Since when is it the duty of the governor or legislature to police taxation by local authorities? We don’t need their “protection.” We can vote our local officials out of office if we think they are taxing us too much. The question of how much to tax and spend for my little city should be made in my little city, not in the Capitol building.
Funny how quickly “local control” advocates turn into Big Brother after they assume power.
By S. Dekalb Voter
August 20, 2008 3:28 PM | Link to this
Sonny needs to get engaged on the State’s Budget “Crisis”. It seems like he’s still jetlagged from his 100th trip to China. He needs to start by cutting the massive waste in State Govt. State Govt has been a jobs program for their friends and family since the Republicans took control.
By Tom Ga Hunter
August 20, 2008 4:37 PM | Link to this
Sonny needs to take a little trip around the state capital, if he can’t cut the state government by 10+%, he needs to go back to China.
By RJ
August 20, 2008 8:19 PM | Link to this
“If the governor argues that local governments have placed too heavy a tax on property owners, how does it make sense to then raise that same tax on homeowners by $200 or $300 per, by eliminating the credit?” This is the question that begs for an answer!
Perdue was also quoted in today’s Athens Banner Herald saying “I think there are better ways to help our local citizens reduce the growth of property taxes.” Where is his proposal to do it?
Why not eliminate the 150 million special interest tax breaks granted in the 2008 session of the General Assembly. Why not eliminate other special interest taxes on the books totaling more than a billion dollars?
This action by Perdue is the latest in a series that not only evident ineptness but a total disregard for the people who support him. Yet, he continues to enjoy a 60% plus favorable rating. Why? Because the electorate is inattentive, uninformed, and in great need of knowledge about the workings of government.
By Amanda Huginkisski
August 20, 2008 11:59 PM | Link to this
Sonny lied rednecks cried