Organize the South

Pity the poor Georgian. Not only do we have to put up with stupid ideas from Washington DC, we also have to deal with our own legislature. True, Texas has a good run on dumb ideas, but their legislature only meets every other year. We in Georgia have to deal with something stupid every year. Here's whats next.

Speaker of the house Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) has an idea for tax reform. He wants to end property taxes outright and replace it with a sales tax. Income taxes stay. I pulled the summary from the AJC story from September 2 (No-property-taxes plan draws fire from local leaders). Here what would happen to Georgians under Richardson's plan. We:

• Would pay no property taxes on their homes, cars or businesses.
• Would continue paying an income tax.
• Would pay sales taxes on a wider range of goods and services, including all groceries, legal and accounting fees, haircuts and possibly some medical care.

In the last election Perdue proposed ending income taxes for rich retirees. The AJC also has a list of other proposals including a proposal by Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) and Rep. Steve Davis (R-McDonough) to eliminate state income taxes and raise sales taxes.

Tax reform is desperately needed in the state since working people bear the greatest burden. Corporations and the rich get off. However, adding to that burden is not a good idea. Eliminating the income tax (a progressive tax) and replacing it with a sales tax (a regressive tax) is a bad idea. Ending property taxes and centralizing all decision making in the legislature is a REALLY bad idea.

Find out more about tax reform at the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute reality check site. They are having a series of open meetings on tax reform. Check out the site for the latest info. This may become a big issue for Poor People's Day as well. People's Tax Reform is long overdue.