Arizona, Illinois also considering cryptocurrencies for taxpayer use
Lawmakers in Georgia aren't the only ones who may decide to recognize cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin as a currency or payment system. The Arizona House Ways and Means Committee this week approved a bill that would allow taxpayers to pay their income tax liabilities using bitcoin and cryptocurrencies using peer-to-peer systems, usaherald.com reports. Under the bill, Arizona's Department of Revenue would convert cryptocurrency payments to U.S. dollars at the current rate after receipt. It would then credit a taxpayer's account with the converted dollar amount actually received minus any fees incurred for conversion. Lawmakers in Georgia and Illinois are considering similar proposals to accept bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for tax payments. In January 2016, the New Hampshire House of Representatives rejected a similar bill. There is a possibility that the legislation in Georgia, Arizona and Illinois will suffer the same fate, the article states.
Augusta paper: student protests deserve support
An editorial in The Augusta Chronicle this week says schools should stand by students walking out of classes Wednesday, National School Walkout Day, to protest last month's mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla. "It's likely that few mass protests in history will have been less inconvenient yet more impactful," the editorial states. While the paper normally opposes work or school stoppages, this demonstration is designed to have minimal disruption and maximum effect, lasting 17 minutes in memory of the 17 killed at a Parkland high school, the paper states."We hope the national protest raises the level of dialogue — not just the temperature — and it proves that an act of high-minded civil disobedience need not be one of civil disorder," it continues.
School system adds extra security for rest of school year
Floyd County public schools will have four more police officers on duty for the rest of the year, the local school board decided this week. The Rome News-Tribune reports that the school system's four districts will each add an off-duty officer for the rest of the year at a combined cost of about $52,000. These will be in addition to the school resource officers each district already has, the paper said.
Never miss a minute of what's happening in Georgia Politics. Subscribe to PoliticallyGeorgia.com.
About the Author
