Tax council to take input from across state

By James Salzer

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The leader of a new panel considering changes to the state's tax system said Wednesday that the group will travel Georgia in the next few months to get input.

A.D. Frazier, former chief operating officer of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, was elected chairman Wednesday of the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness.

The council will consider a wide range of issues, from the effectiveness of current tax exemptions and the current tax structure to new incentives to help the state attract jobs.

Although some of the details are still being worked out, Frazier said he planned to hold meetings across the state, likely in late August and early September, to hear from Georgians on what changes they think should be made.

"We've got to let the public be heard," Frazier said. "Everybody wants to be heard."

The council has a Web site at fiscalresearch.gsu.edu/taxreform that will also be set up to take comments from the public. The site will have presentations, schedules and other information about the council's activities.

The first meeting, held Wednesday across from the state Capitol, was packed with lobbyists, lawmakers, activists and others wanting to keep a close eye on the council.

The council will look at a host of possible changes, from putting the sales tax back on all groceries and charging a sales tax on services to cutting income and/or corporate taxes.

State House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) , who was at the meeting briefly, charged the group to come up with a tax system that is "more stable, more fair, more flat and more job-friendly."

The council is made up of business people and economists. The only elected official on the panel is Gov. Sonny Perdue, who is leaving office in January.

The group's recommendations will go to the General Assembly for a vote when it reconvenes in January 2011.