A state Senate committee considering how to eliminate Georgia’s income tax will hold its first meeting later this summer. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones announced the committee’s creation on July 17.
Sen. Blake Tillery of Vidalia will chair the committee. He held a press conference at the state Capitol on Thursday.
“This is about competitiveness. It’s about economic freedom. And above all, it’s about allowing hardworking Georgians to keep their money in their pockets,” Tillery said.
The District 19 Republican said changes will not happen overnight.
“You’ve seen us move in the direction over the past three years,” Tillery said. “I think that this is the year, though, that we show that we are going to go to zero. It’s not a debate anymore about if we go to zero. The question now is how we go to zero.”
The state’s income tax rate for 2025 is 5.19%. Critics of eliminating the tax say it will force the state to raise sales or property tax to make up for lost revenue, but Tillery says the committee will look to other states to figure out how to pay for the change.
Legislation to get rid of the income tax would have to pass both chambers and be signed into law by the governor.
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Lt. Gov. Burt Jones forms Senate committee to explore eliminating state income tax
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
