The Ashe Advocate – February 29, 2008

Republican plan’s 175 new taxes draw opposition

By Rep. Kathy Ashe

Georgia Democrats announced our strong opposition this week to the Republican Tax Plan, which puts 175 new taxes on Georgia’s citizens.

Let me be clear, Democrats are not against tax reform. In fact, we have our own property tax cut plan. But we cannot and will not support HR 1246 and HB 979, which would undermine education, break cities and counties and increase taxes on working families and the elderly in Georgia.

The Republican Tax Plan puts 175 new taxes on Georgians – literally from cradle to grave. The proposal puts a new tax on food, plus a laundry list of 175 new taxes that would include haircuts, auto parts, ATM fees, home improvements and many other goods and services not presently taxed.

Georgia is entering tough economic times. Families are starting to feel the pain of the Republican recession. Republicans in Georgia have been poor stewards of our tax dollars, and their only answer is to create 175 new taxes. If you need to go to the beauty shop or barber shop, you would be taxed. If you go to a lawyer to have a will written, you would be taxed. And if you have a death in your family, the funeral service would be taxed under the Republican plan.

Nearly a decade ago, the Democrat-controlled legislature repealed the sales tax on groceries. We are not about to stand by today and see that tax added back on. We will stand together and defeat HR 1246 and HB 979 if they come to a vote in the House.

On Thursday, House members approved legislation I strongly support, which would authorize the sale of wine in Georgia over the Internet.

Under HB 1061, up to 12 cases of win per year could be ordered directly from a winery via the Internet. Purchasers would be required to verify they are at least 21 years of age. The bill now goes to the Senate for its consideration.

A legislative effort to amend the state Constitution and make English the official language of Georgia failed Tuesday in the House of Representatives. A simple majority of 103-61 voted in favor of HR 413, but 120 votes were needed for passage of the amendment.

The resolution was unnecessary unnecessary because the General Assembly had already passed a law, in 2002, naming English as the official language in our state. HR 413 would have limited the use of languages other than English to only specific purposes and required all driver’s license exams to be in English only.

While this is an apparent attempt to crack down on illegal immigration, the driver’s license provision would have an impact on many legal immigrants as well and affected their ability to hold down a job. HR 413 could very well have had a negative impact on employment in Georgia and increased the welfare rolls. The bill was not consistent with the values of this state.

Immigration opponents were successful Thursday in adopting HB 978, by a 104-51 vote. This measure states that any motor vehicle being driven by an illegal immigrant when they are pulled over for a traffic stop or violation or involved in an accident can be seized under Georgia’s forfeiture laws.

Many lawmakers were concerned that employers could lose their company or farm vehicles if they allowed them to be driven by someone they did not know was an illegal immigrant. Law enforcement’s ability to check immigration status was also a concern. The bill now goes to the Senate for its consideration.

House members approved another recommendation from the joint House-Senate Transportation Funding Study Committee. HB 1124 would allow the selection of design-build contracts with the Department of Transportation.

These contracts combine engineer and contracting work together, which has proven to increase efficiency and speed up the completion time of road construction and improvement projects.

The measure also would require, beginning in fiscal year 2010, the DOT to use the design-build procedure to award at least 5 percent of the monetary value of all its construction contracts. HB 1124 now goes to the Senate for its consideration.

In a less significant transportation measure, the House adopted HB 1019, which would charter the Georgia Infrastructure Bank to assist financing qualified road projects for communities. Local governments would borrow from the bank at a reduced rate for infrastructure improvements to be completed.

Federal funds could be maximized easier under the legislation, also helping speed up projects that have been stalled. Although the state is facing a transportation funding shortfall in the billions of dollars, the governor has proposed only $50 million for the Georgia Infrastructure Bank.

• Rep. Kathy Ashe (D-Atlanta) represents the 56th District (Fulton County) in the Georgia House of Representatives. Contact her at 409 Coverdell Office Building, Atlanta, GA  30334; by phone at 404-656-0116 or by e-mail at kathyashe56@mindspring.com.