House members in the Georgia General Assembly need to hear from voters in their districts immediately.

The House may vote this week on tax measures that could adversely our affect health care, education, transportation, services to families, and physical infrastructure for years to come.

As you probably know, House Speaker Richardson has proposed a major tax overhaul to cut some property taxes and increase sales taxes (reinstating the sales tax on groceries and taxing 176 services that are not taxed today). Far from making the tax system more stable or more equitable as a tax reform plan should, it will make taxes less fair and create an enormous funding shortfall.

The bills that constitute the plan (HR 1246 and HB 979) have passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee and may go to the House floor for a vote the week of February 25th. According to the state’s fiscal note accompanying the bill, this plan would create a state revenue decline of $827 million in when it is fully implemented in 2011. Unless state revenues grow by over 10% a year (experts say they are likely grow far more slowly), or the state raises other taxes, drastic program cuts would be necessary to cover the consequences of the tax changes, school enrollment growth, modest teacher pay increases, normal inflation, and other known costs. According to the Ga. Budget and Policy Institute, the projected shortfall is equivalent to state funding for:

·100% of PeachCare and 33% of Medicaid, or
·10% of Pre-K and K-12, or
·66% of Corrections, or
·49% of DHR, or
·35% of Regents

Please contact your State Representative now! Let her or him know that as a voter and taxpayer, you know this plan is bad for the people in your district and for all the people of Georgia. Ask your Representative to vote against HR 1246 and HB 979.

Click these links for more details and analysis and fact sheets from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.

Click here to Locate your Representative.

Thank you!

From Georgia Coalition United for a Responsible Budget