Members of the Georgia General Assembly this week proposed a bill that would, if enacted into law, give certain legislators enough power to audit up to five of the state’s tax credit programs.
State Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) is sponsoring the bill, along with 16 other state legislators.
“On or before May 1 of each year, the chairperson of the House Committee on Ways and Means and the chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee may each request up to five economic analyses, which requests shall be transmitted to the Office of Planning and Budget which may contract with one or more independent auditors to complete all such analyses on or before December 1 of the year in which such analysis was requested,” according to the language of the bill.
“Each such request shall be limited to one existing provision of law or proposed law and shall specify one particular exemption, exclusion, or deduction from the base of a tax; credit against a tax; deferral of a tax; a rebate of taxes paid; tax abatement; or preferential tax rate to be analyzed.”
According to the Georgia General Assembly’s website, other sponsors of the bill include the following:
• State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome)
• State Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga)
• State Sen. Brian Strickland (R-McDonough)
• State Sen. John Kennedy (R-Macon)
• State Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R-Marietta)
• State Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega)
If legislators enact the bill, as currently written, then audits would examine net changes in state revenue, net changes in state expenditures, net changes in economic activity, and net changes in benefits to the public.
As The Georgia Star News reported last week, Gooch, who is the state senate’s majority whip, will vice chair the State Senate Transportation Committee. Gooch will expand beyond his usual duties as majority whip to serve on other state senate committees.
State Sen. Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta) previously chaired the State Senate Transportation Committee. Beach lost that position after he questioned alleged irregularities in the state’s November 2020 elections.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Georgia Capital” by andre m. CC BY-SA 3.0.
