Stop the tax hike in Georgia!

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste ^ | 02-24-03 | Tom Schatz

[backhoe]

Sent: Monday, February 24, 2003 12:48 PM

Subject: Stop the tax hike in Georgia!

Dear JOHN,

 

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is trying to raise your taxes!  Instead of scouring the state budget for wasteful and inefficient spending to close a $620 million shortfall, Gov. Perdue has proposed increasing taxes on tobacco and alcohol.  This latest tax hike proposal comes on the heels of the governor's failed bid to raise the property tax for homeowners.

 

Among other things, the governor's plan would boost the tax on cigarettes from 12 cents to 58 cents per pack and the price of a six-pack of beer by about 14 cents.  However, increased excise taxes on products like tobacco and alcohol have proven to bring many unintended consequences, such as illegal smuggling and a corresponding rise in crime.  They also disproportionately impact those living on low and fixed incomes. 

 

Higher taxes are not the answer to Georgia's budget crisis.  Rather, Gov. Perdue and state lawmakers must exercise spending restraint and cut bloated, non-essential programs to bring expenditures in line with existing revenue. 

 

Tell your state representative and senator to vote NO on the governor's tax hike proposal and instead cut wasteful spending!  Please click here to write to your state Assembly members today.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Tom Schatz

President, CCAGW

 

***

 

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), the nation's largest taxpayer watchdog organization with more than one million members and supporters nationwide. CAGW is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  For more information about CAGW, visit the CAGW website at www.cagw.org.  To join today, please click here.

To tell a friend about CAGW today, please click here.

 

[JebBush2008]

Let me guess. The Gov in a Democrat!

[Hanging Chad]

bump

[oyez]

I thougt the lottery was going to solve all the state's problems.

[rastus macgill]

You Guessed Wrong!!!!!!!!!!!Republican!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GW Bush made ads for him and campaigned for him heavily in GA
No like all Gov who raise taxes,restrict freedom and over regulate he is a politician. GA previous Democrat Gov "King Roy" Barnes was much better than many Republican governors in the country(fiscally and 2nd amendment).
Generally Republican pols suck just not as bad as Dems.
In some cases they are even worse.

[rastus macgill]

No it just created big ones that have't completely broken yet.Grade inflation,tuition inflation, and a huge tax increase that will be necessary to pay the entitlement of post secondary education for all. lotteries always offer diminishing returns for a State yet costs keep rising.

[backhoe]

I'm afraid he's a "former" Dem who apparently hasn't forgotten some bad attitudes... I sure hoped for better than the junk he's proposing.

Contact info:
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/cgi-bin/gl_peo_list.pl?List=stsenatedl

Megalinks:
http://www.conservativeusa.org/megalink.htm

Even more links:
http://globalfreepress.com/email_the_media.shtml

[backhoe]

I thought the lottery was going to solve all the state's problems.

Well, that was the story we were told, but I never believed it, and opposed Lotto from the start.

My Mom's from Ohio, and they sold the same swindle on the folks up there years ago, yet the state & schools are always short of money...

[backhoe]

Appreciate the bump!

[avg_freeper]

Remember no tax days in spring and fall? I thought that was a pretty gutsy thing to do for a Democrat Governor. Even though it was only for certain "approved" items like clothing, school supplies, and computers it showed how you could really boost retail sales by lowering or eliminating!! sales taxes. Not a wise thing for a Democrat to do but he seemed to be really proud of it.

[Lancey Howard]

LOL, if the governor was a Democrat the projected deficit would be $2 billion and everybody who works for a living would be grabbing their ankles in preparation for higher income taxes, especially "the wealthy".

[OldCorps]

Well Sonny,

You better rethink this. We elected you to cut taxes, not raise them.

Oh, and another thing. Didn't you promise a referendum on getting rid of the NAACP flag and going back to the old GA state flag? We're watching! You better produce.

[oyez]

One new tax always creates a demand for more taxes somewhere else. Its like giving dope to an addict, he will always want more, more and more.

I guess the tax payers aren't going to realize what's happening untill the government holds our deeds.

[backhoe]

We're watching! You better produce.

Absolutely- we are recalling the mayor of Brunswick and most of the City Commission because they spent like drunken sailors and raised taxes without a by-your-leave from the voters. You have to watch these SOB's like a hawk.

[backhoe]

One new tax always creates a demand for more taxes somewhere else. Its like giving dope to an addict, he will always want more, more and more.

Oh, absolutely... it's like giving a junkie a brick of heroin. The only solution is to cut spending.

[dansangel]

I've not been much impressed with our newly elected *Republican* Governor. Sometimes I have to pointedly remind myself that he's not a Barnes clone.

What a waste.

[backhoe]

Sometimes I have to pointedly remind myself that he's not a Barnes clone.

Same here... I really thought my vote for him would be a wasted protest vote, and he was doomed to lose. Now that he's in office, I wonder if my vote wasn't wasted after all- he's proposing things I largely oppose.

[ErinsDaddy]

The Governor should milk the smokers and drinkers and cut spending too.

[Capitalism2003]

make sure you post this on the Georgia board...Find the governor's email address and post it here as well...We usually do a pretty good job freeping people out of state, convincing them we are constituents ;)

[Protagoras]

You better produce.

He did, a proposal to raise taxes. Republican tax increase. Now what? Recall like in California?

[meyer]

I think that what we're going to see here (OK, I hope) is a federal response. No, not a response of more funds, but a response of legislation addressing the issue of unfunded mandates. Many of the states' expenses, and this goes way beyond Georgia, are a direct result of Clinton policies that mandated certain duties on the states without providing federal funds with which to perform them.

Of course, several years of good times also contributed to the issue by allowing plenty of promises to be fulfilled. Georgia, under its last democRAT administration, has some kind of free college tuition program that promises to cost the taxpayers aplenty in the future.

As for Georgia's present governor, I want to think that this tax announcement is partly to alert the constituents that there is a budget problem. Requesting tax legislation is a great way to get someone's attention! I just hope he doesn't follow through.

[backhoe]

Appreciate your thoughtful comments.

[meyer]

Thanks. I'm but about 20 miles from the Georgia border. We have some budget issues here in Tennessee as well, though we don't have the income tax to deal with.

Do keep on top of Gov. Perdue and remind him that A: he's a Republican, and B: Budget cuts aren't out of the question. I think that the people of Georgia need to voice their desires here - let not only the governor, but the rest of the elected officials know that they don't want an increase. Perhaps that's what he's driving at in the long haul.

[backhoe]

I think that the people of Georgia need to voice their desires here - ... not only the governor, but the rest of the elected officials

Georgia has always been a hotbed of corrupt, good ole boy politicos, but I believe the citizens are starting to pay better attention to the actual nuts-and-bolts of how the government is run- and they aren't liking what they see.

I have seen a real surge in grassroots activism in the last year, and not coincidentally it is tied to the spread of information via the 'net and talk radio.

[oyez]

Sounds like Don Sunquist is loose in Georga.

[rastus macgill]

Zell killed the sales tax on food(state level anyways I still pay MARTA tax on food)I remember there was a bit of an uproar on the left because it did nothing for people on food stamps cause they didn't PAY for food-another giveaway to the "rich".
I'm afraid diminishing lottery revenues plus increasing education costs are going to lead to a big tax increase to "save" the Hope scholarship.People from Waycross to Mineral Springs will have to pony up their share for MARTA.
I voted for Sonny Perdue but I can't figure out why now.
I think it had something to do with the Flag,taxes,and transportation improvements(for roads NOT bikepaths,trolleys and choo choo trains!)
Well he has blown it on 2 out of 3 so far look for the hat trick.

[rastus macgill]

Raise taxes! quite the conservative aren't you.

[rastus macgill]

The scary thing is he might be worse- far worse.
I think Barnes was rated in the top 3 of Govs for fiscal responibility by the Cato institute.Top Dem in the country beat all but 2 or 3 small state western Republicans.

[Protagoras]

You may get thrown off of FreeRepublican.com for suggesting that.

[rastus macgill]

I feel like I wasted my vote for NOT voting for the Libertarian.I was going to because I thought Sonny was a loser but as I went to the polls (absentee) the Wellstone rally was breaking on talk radio.I had planned on voting for Chambliss and my state rep and "wasting" the rest of my ballot but fired up with righteous ire I figure Republican was more anti Democrat and voted for Sonny.

[rastus macgill]

Its true.I never liked ,trusted or voted for Roy Barnes but he is probably more conservative than at least half the Republican Governors in this country.Hell he was the Gov of Georgia nuff said right there.

[rastus macgill]

Not necessarily in Ga see my posts below. #28

[Paul C. Jesup]

Boy, Republican Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue has been in office for LESS THAN two months and you all are giving him hatred and venom that it took Democrat Calf Governor Davis two YEARS to earn.

Former Gov Barnes almost destroy the 'Hope College Fund' be raiding it and he also wrecked the Georgia state budget.

Yes I hear Sonny wants to raise taxes, but he also wants to CUT wasteful state funding so he can balance the Georgia state budget.

At least give Sonny a couple of more months to see what he can do before you give him this much hatred and venom.And for the record I voted for him.

[rastus macgill]

"Former Gov Barnes almost destroy the 'Hope College Fund' be raiding it and he also wrecked the Georgia state budget."

Explain the above its news to me .I follow GA politics and news very closely.

"At least give Sonny a couple of more months"
I have to he was elected but at this rate he will run himself out of office before his only term is up.
You sound like you work for him .

[Paul C. Jesup]

You sound like you work for him.

Nope. Unlike you, I just give someone a chance before I criticize them. Give him a couple of more months before you judge him, that is not unreasonable.

[Lancey Howard]

At least give Sonny a couple of more months" I have to he was elected but at this rate he will run himself out of office before his only term is up. You sound like you work for him .

Reading through all your posts on this thread, you sound like you work for the scumbag Democrats. I agree with the posters who say give the new guy a chance.

[dansangel]

The scary thing is he might be worse- far worse.

I can see your point....but I hope to God you're wrong. Let's just hope it's "growing pains."

The happy tide of conservatism that we GA citizens rode after the November elections is starting to fade away.

[ErinsDaddy]

Yes I am a conservative!

Are you going to revoke my membership because I believe in "sin taxes"?

[rastus macgill]

I suppose you want heavy taxes on SUVs? After all the National Council of Churches has declared ownership "sinful".
If you believe taxes should be levied to control /coerce behavior instead of just raising revenue I don't have to revoke anything you are not a conservative.

[rastus macgill]

Sonny Perdue proposed raising property as well as "sin" taxes before he proposed any spending cuts.He has no chance in Hell with me after that.I will enjoy seeing him refered to as "racist GA Governor Sonny Perdue" for the rest of his short political career over the flag issue.

[rastus macgill]

How many?

[Paul C. Jesup]

You must have missed all the stories about state budget cuts that have been in the local and state newspapers in Georgia.

[rastus macgill]

"Former Gov Barnes almost destroy the 'Hope College Fund' be raiding it and he also wrecked the Georgia state budget"


You still haven't explained the above quote


Budget cuts are a good thing we need more a lot more.
"King Roy" ranked third on the Cato institutes "fiscal policy report card" for 2002. Third behind Bill Owens R Colorado and Jeb Bush R Florida. Ahead of every other Gov Republican or Democrat.
Lets see how Sonny measures up through his term.
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-454es.html
click on the PDF file

[Paul C. Jesup]

Barns shifted money from the 'Hope College Fund' to other places that it was not meant to go and wrecked the fund. Also, under Barns the state shifted from a balance budget, that it had under Zell, to a deficit.

[rastus macgill]

Please provide documentation/citation for Barnes shifting lottery proceeds to non education spending.I think you would have the GA news scoop of the year/century.How did Barnes "wreck the Hope College Fund".
The big threat to Hope comes from the proven slowdown in lottery spending that occurs over time and in economic downturns combined with the greed and profligacy of the Board of Regents and the State Univ/college administrations.
Hey my defending "King Roy" comes as a shock to me.
I feel betrayed by Sonny Perdue.After 130+ years of Democrat rule in GA I thought we could do better.I fear we may do worse.

[ErinsDaddy]

Thank you for your judgment!

So what you are saying is that conservatives do NOT support any taxation.

[FreedomPoster]

Minimal taxation to support a minimum of Constitutionally acceptable functions is conservative.

Taxes enacted purely to coerce "acceptable" behavior rarely fits that bill.

[rastus macgill]

No I am saying conservatives do not support taxation for the purpose of "progressive " social engineering.Taxation is a necessary evil for raising the revenue needed to support the function of government.Taxes should not be a carrot and stick to coerce socially desirable behavior.
I am sorry for the tone but the whole idea of "targeted taxes" and targeted tax cuts" to encourage/coerce/force "desirable" behavior is a liberal one.
Taxes should be shared across the broad population so everyone has a stake in Gov and pays for it.
Alchohol and tobacco were not taxed originally because they were "sinful" but as an efficent trackable source of steady revenue from high demand steady supply farm commodities.
The current leadership of most large "mainstream" protestant denominations now consider such things as firearms ownership and SUVs and other gas powered vehicles as "sinfull" and as I am sure you are aware politicians have attempted to levy special taxes on them( not pittman-robinson taxes on firearms and ammo that is a real "user fee" for game wildlife conservation.Current motor fuel taxes are also in line with the cost of road building/maintainence) such as a several dollar per bullet tax and high gas taxes meant to discourage driving and build public transportation.
These are just a few examples.
Think about it read about it( most consevative economists and writers are with me thats where I learned it) continue to disagree and support raising taxes if you like.I
still contend that taxes should always be lowered and/ or adjusted to fairly produce the revenue for the legitimate functions of Gov from the broad spectrum of the people.

[rastus macgill]

Wish I read your post first thats putting it succintly.
Unfortunately not only are taxes too high the whole code is skewed toward social and economic engineering.

[FreedomPoster]

I'm a man of few words. ;-)

Good to have yours to cover the detail, though.