Tax relief will be on the Georgia ballot on Nov. 5, along with the presidential race and various congressional, legislative, and county contests.
Voters will decide on two tax-related constitutional amendments the General Assembly passed this year, and vote in a statewide referendum on tax legislation.
Georgia has already rolled back its income tax rate in recent years, but this year, the theme is property tax relief.
While the state does not levy property taxes, local property taxes are a sore subject under the Gold Dome, said Kyle Wingfield, president and CEO of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. This think tank advocates free-market approaches to public-policy issues.
“When you talk to legislators, what they hear from their constituents most in terms of complaints largely comes down to local property taxes,” he said. “Rising prices lead to tax bills that really drive people up the wall.”
Two of the three ballot questions concern property taxes. A proposed constitutional amendment would prohibit local governments from raising residential assessments in a given year by more than the annual rate of inflation, even if a home's market value has increased more.
“Given the large increase in home values across Georgia in recent years, many school districts, cities, and counties have been able to count on a boost in revenue without raising tax rates year to year,” Lt. Gov. Burt Jones wrote this week in an op-ed. “This has resulted in large and often surprise tax increases for many homeowners.”
The proposal includes an opt-out provision for local governments. However, it requires any city, county, and school district wishing to opt out of the property tax break to advertise its intent to do so and hold at least three public hearings.
“While this local option is an important feature of the proposal, it would be disappointing to see local governments utilize it without adequately listening to the concerns of the Georgians. It would so greatly help,” Jones added.
If the constitutional amendment passes, local governments wishing to exercise the opt-out provision would have until March 1 of next year.
An “enabling” bill the General Assembly passed to accompany the constitutional amendment also gives local governments the option of levying a local sales tax of up to a penny to help offset the lost property tax revenue.
However, Todd Edwards, deputy director of governmental affairs for the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, said a county can impose the sales tax only if every city inside that county that levies a property tax agrees.
The second property tax-related item on the ballot is a statewide referendum that would increase the exemption on personal property taxes from $7,500 to $20,000.
While the exemption would benefit all Georgians, supporters are pitching it as mainly aimed at small business owners.
“Small businesses already pay sales taxes on equipment, desks, and other property,” said Hunter Loggins, state director for the National Federal of Independent Business. “Raising the threshold for paying this tax would ease the financial pressure on employers struggling with inflation that continues to drive up the cost of owning and operating a small business.”
The third proposal is a constitutional amendment that would create a tax court in Georgia. Supporters say it would be staffed with judges with expertise to decide cases related to the assessment and collection of state or local taxes. The same argument was carried out the day Georgia voters approved the creation of the Statewide Business Court in 2018.
Trump leading Harris in Georgia poll
According to a new poll, former President Donald Trump has opened up a solid lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in Georgia five weeks before the Nov. 5 election.
A survey of 942 likely voters in Georgia conducted Sept. 25-29 by Quinnipiac University showed Republican Trump with 50% of the vote in the Peach State to 44% for Democrat Harris, well outside the poll’s margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.2%.
Trump held the edge on Harris in the Georgia poll on the economy and immigration, with 53% of the respondents saying they believe Trump would better handle both critical issues. Respondents also rated the former president higher than Harris 52% to 46% on how he would handle international conflicts.
“Harris confronts a troubling Trump trifecta,” said Tim Malloy, a polling analyst for Quinnipiac. “He leads her on the economy and immigration and has the edge regarding who would best handle a national crisis.”
Harris rated above Trump only on the issue of abortion in the Georgia poll, with 50% of those surveyed saying she would do a better job on that issue to 43% for Trump.
Poll respondents were evenly divided on how they view Trump, with 48% viewing him favorably and 48% unfavorably. Harris was underwater in that category, with 43% of the respondents rating her favorably and 50% unfavorably.