Taxes turn into a target for legislators
A “voice crying in the wilderness….” That’s me as the 2008 session of the Georgia General Assembly prepares to crank up.
House Speaker Glenn Richardson has been traveling the state trying to drum up support for his “GREAT Plan,” a proposal to replace all property taxes with a state-managed sales tax.
Richardson’s plan to push his legislation through this session has generated a flurry of other property tax bills from both Democrats and Republicans. The AJC article linked below describes several proposals.
The article prompted me to send the following to Senator Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) in the hopes that it will generate a fair hearing of the simple solution described at this site:
Senator Johnson,
I note that you have filed legislation proposing a statewide freeze in residential property taxes. According to the AJC, “the amendment would raise the homestead exemption on property to match any increase in assessments. Several of Georgia’s 159 counties already have such a system in place….”
I have contacted you several times in the past regarding the danger of property tax “freezes;” how ANY artificial limit on assessed values will, over time, actually INCREASE tax rates to the point that any benefit will be lost. Your current proposal (and similar proposals by Rep. Levitas and others) will not eliminate “back door tax increases” but actually CAUSE them. Moreover, I can show you how tax “freezes” harm those on low and fixed incomes while providing a substantial tax break for the more affluent.
I can easily prove this mathematically.
To date, you have not responded to my requests for an opportunity to discuss a simple solution to the problem of out-of-control tax bills resulting from higher assessments. Quite frankly, I am frustrated by the lack of interest on such an important issue.
Given the opportunity, I can explain how the codification of a process for calculating the millage rate can accomplish what you desire and more. This process is nothing new– it has been taught by the Department of Revenue for decades to tax commissioners, appraisers and assessors.
If you want to enact TRUE property tax reform and not just politically-popular yet totally ineffective legislation, you will give me the opportunity to explain my proposal. In fact, I extend this invitation to any legislator who wants to lead on this issue.
For the record, I am a former Chairman of a county Board of Equalization and have received the required and additional training in property tax matters. I am also trained as a real estate appraiser. I have also published the top-ranked web site on this topic at www.millagerate.com.
Respectfully,
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