Burt Jones to make his case on eliminating Georgia’s income tax

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• JD Vance could return to Atlanta this week.
• Donald Trump signs law targeting Veterans Affairs.
• Charlie Bailey takes a tour of Georgia’s reddest counties.

Tax talk

Some Georgia lawmakers want to eliminate the state's income tax.

The Republican-controlled Georgia Senate is poised this week to take the next step in the long-running push to eliminate the state income tax. And Lt. Gov. Burt Jones will be at the center of the debate.

Jones, a GOP candidate for governor, is set to headline Tuesday’s meeting of a special Senate committee exploring ways to phase out the levy, which now stands at 5.19% and is set to drop to 4.99% by 2027. He has said getting rid of the tax is vital to making Georgia more competitive with other states, such as Florida and Tennessee, which don’t have income taxes.

The panel is expected to explore how to offset lost revenue, including eliminating popular tax breaks and economic development incentives. Few states, however, have been able to gut income taxes deeply without offsetting them with other revenues such as higher sales taxes or new fees.

Critics warn it could jeopardize billions of dollars in funding for health care, education and infrastructure, shifting more of the tax burden onto poorer households. But the idea has earned growing support from some rank-and-file Republicans, who point to other southern states with lower tax rates.

Here’s how Jones’ rivals line up:

• Attorney General Chris Carr. Jones’ top GOP opponent for governor said he wants to ensure Georgia has the lowest tax burden of any Southeastern state, but that means a broader focus on other taxes, fees and regulations that are “burdening businesses.”
• Democratic State Sen. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta. He isn’t ruling it out, saying he’s open to any proposal “that will keep more money in Georgians’ wallets while lowering housing costs, expanding health care access and investing in public education.” But he said his concern “will always be giving much-needed tax relief to working families in our state — not giving handouts to billionaires and millionaires like Burt Jones.”
• Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. She has called for ending income taxes for public school teachers. But Bottoms called Jones’ plan to eliminate the tax for everyone a “risky election-year gimmick that would harm our state” with the potential to slash school funding, increase fees and hike costs and sales taxes for working families. “Georgians deserve real solutions on affordability, not budget-busting gimmicks,” she said.
• Former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. He stopped short of giving a verdict on Jones’ tax plan, instead pledging to “fight for fair tax policies” that protect seniors, veterans and working families.

Things to know

Under a revised ordinance recently passed by the Savannah City Council, horse-drawn carriage operators must cease activities when temperatures reach 85 degrees.

Good morning! Two legislative study committees meet this morning, one examining recovery residences for people recovering from drug addiction and the other looking at higher education affordability.

Here are three additional things to know for today:

• Insurance Commissioner John King fined 22 companies a collective $20 million after finding more than 6,000 violations, including some that inconsistently applied benefits, the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman and Ariel Hart report.
• A judge ordered the Fulton County Board of Commissioners to appoint two Republican critics to its election board, the AJC’s Caleb Groves reports.
• The Savannah City Council voted to ban horse-drawn carriage tours when temperatures reach 85 degrees — a plan Mayor Van Johnson has threatened to veto, the AJC’s Adam Van Brimmer reports.

Stay tuned

We haven’t heard the details yet, but several state GOP leaders say Vice President JD Vance is set to visit Atlanta at the end of the week.

Vance was last in Atlanta in May for a fundraiser benefiting the Republican National Committee, which is holding a major meeting in Atlanta this week.

The meetings kick off tomorrow, and most of them will be behind closed doors. The general session begins Friday at the Westin Peachtree Plaza. That’s when Republicans will elect a new chair to replace Michael Whatley, who is stepping down to run for a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina being vacated by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis.

The election won’t have drama. Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters is running unopposed, and he’s got the endorsement of President Donald Trump. Gruters is also the RNC’s treasurer, so Republicans will also have to elect someone to replace him.

And they’re off

Incumbent Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul (left) is facing a challenge from Jody Reichel (right) and two other candidates.

It’s qualifying week, the period when candidates can officially file their paperwork to get on the ballot for the local government elections in November.

Local governments have some discretion about when they can start. For example, Atlanta’s qualifying period begins tomorrow.

Here’s a look at some of the races we’ll be watching:

• Sandy Springs mayor: The city north of Atlanta has only had two mayors in its two decades of existence. Incumbent Rusty Paul will face a major challenge this year from council members Andy Bauman and Jody Reichel. Dontaye Carter, who lost to Paul in 2021, is also running.
• Atlanta City Council President: Council member Marci Collier Overstreet is running to succeed Doug Shipman, who isn’t seeking reelection. She’s got experience, having served two terms on the council, plus the backing of Mayor Andre Dickens. Rohit Malhotra, founder of the Civic Center for Innovation, is running on a platform to raise household incomes and invest in small business.
• Atlanta City Council: Most of the action will be for the three open seats: District 7 in conservative-leaning Buckhead, District 2 covering Midtown, and District 11 in southwest Atlanta, which the AJC’s Riley Bunch notes is home turf for many of the city’s former mayors. But The most interesting news could be who isn’t running. Alex Wan in District 6 and at-large council member Matt Westmoreland haven’t drawn challengers yet despite angering some activists for their votes to approve the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

Keeping tabs

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins participated in a "Politically Georgia" podcast event in Washington earlier this year.

Congress will be keeping a closer eye on Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins.

The former Georgia congressman is now required to provide quarterly briefings on budget shortfalls at his agency after President Donald Trump signed the “Protecting Regular Order for Veterans Act of 2025” into law last week.

The law stems in part from an incident last year during former President Joe Biden’s administration when the Department of Veterans Affairs said it faced a shortfall. Congress voted to give the agency nearly $3 billion — money the VA’s inspector general later said was not needed.

During a debate on the House floor last month, U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Illinois, made it clear the Republicans in charge of Congress don’t see this law as an indictment of Collins’ leadership.

“This bill is a straightforward, commonsense effort that partners with Secretary Collins and the Trump administration to establish greater accountability and oversight,” he said.

The bill also places limits on incentives the agency can offer certain VA senior executives. Some had received bonuses of as much as $100,000 in the past, Bost said.

U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, D-California, agreed the bonuses were a “misstep,” but said they had been corrected in the prior administration. He criticized Collins for his handling of the VA, including recent layoffs and a general exodus of employees. But Democrats didn’t put up much of a fight against the law.

“More information is always better,” he said.

Trump country

Charlie Bailey is chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia.

Charlie Bailey, the new chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, is traveling to some of the state’s reddest counties to make the case that Democrats want to compete everywhere.

During Bailey’s trip to the Georgia coast last week, he made stops in several counties: Brantley, which voted 91% for Trump in 2024, Camden (67.5% Trump), Charlton (77.9% Trump), Glynn (63% Trump), McIntosh (64% Trump) and Ware (71.4% Trump).

Bailey may have felt right at home in the Republican strongholds since he hails from Harris County, which Trump won with 73% of the vote.

Listen up

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we’re opening the listener mailbag to talk about federal climate grants, the impact of the shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the latest developments in the race for governor, and more.

You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Trump Today

President Donald Trump will meet at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as European and NATO leaders.

Birthday fundraiser

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, recently celebrated her birthday.

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams’ birthday was July 30 and she celebrated Saturday night with a party hosted by famed attorney Ben Crump that doubled as a campaign fundraiser.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, former Mayor Kasim Reed, Pastor Jamal Bryant and singer Tyrese Gibson were listed as co-hosts.

“Join us as we honor her powerful leadership and commitment to the people!” Crump wrote in a post on X.

Shoutouts

State Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, first took office in 2011.

Today’s birthdays:

• State Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell.
• Former state Rep. Teri Anulewicz.