Monday morning and good news just don’t seem to go together, but they do today. Because of Federal regulations, Department of Community Health cannot require co-payments for recipients of the Katie Beckett program. This is great news for the roughly 2,000 families who receive services for their children with disabilities.
With agencies, the Governor, and legislators looking for potential cuts and the needs of people with disabilities continuing to increase, the real question becomes, in a time of economic struggle, how do we find revenue for services for our citizens with disabilities?
Last year, a Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness was formed to study and make recommendations to Georgia’s current tax structure. They released a report several weeks ago, and it looks like the recommendations would overall include transitioning Georgia’s tax base from relying on income tax to consumption taxes. The council recommends the return of sales taxes levied on food, requiring sales tax on personal and household services, and lowering the personal income tax to 4% over the next few years. AADD is a part of a broad alliance of organizations that will encourage legislators to take a balanced approach to our state’s fiscal challenges. 2020 Georgia is a statewide coalition of over 75 agencies and community leaders that believe that there is a gap in the needs of Georgians in healthcare, education and other services and that spending cuts alone will not take care of meeting those needs. A balanced practical approach includes finding efficiencies and revenue. Tax Council’s Full Report.
All About Developmental Disabilities (AADD) is Atlanta's preeminent resource on developmental disabilities, providing support services to families for more than 55 years. We are often the one place where people with developmental disabilities can go to achieve personal empowerment, family stability and community participation. AADD provides family support; public policy and advocacy; and community engagement.
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