Georgia Senate approves tax rebates of up to $500
The state Senate on Monday gave final approval to Gov. Brian Kemp’s plan to rebate $1.1 billion in taxes to Georgians.
The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1000, which authorizes income tax rebates to people who filed returns in 2024 and 2025. It’s the fourth rebate legislators have approved in recent years as they spend down billions in budget reserves accumulated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bill had bipartisan support, with House Minority Leader Harold Jones II calling it “good, common-sense legislation.”
“This is a policy that returns money back to the taxpayer, and I think, in the Senate, both sides of the aisle can get behind it,” Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia, said.
Kemp is expected to sign the bill, which he proposed.
Under the bill, married couples filing jointly will receive an income tax rebate up to $500 later this year. Heads of household would get up to $375, while individual filers or married people filing separately would get up to $250.
The measure is the latest example of an election-year tax-cutting binge. In addition to the tax rebate, Kemp has proposed reducing the income tax rate from 5.19% to 4.99% this year.
The Georgia Senate also has passed legislation that would more than quadruple the standard deduction, potentially eliminating the income tax for nearly two-thirds of Georgians. That bill is pending in the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, the House recently approved a bill that would cap the growth of property tax levies for schools and local governments at 3% or the rate of inflation, whichever is higher. That measure is pending in the Senate.
About the Author
David Wickert writes about the state budget, finance and voting issues. Previously, he covered local government and politics in Gwinnett and Fulton counties. Before moving to Atlanta, he worked at newspapers in Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
