Senate Finance Chairman Ronnie Chance (R-Tyrone) would be appointed to a special committee examining Georgia’s tax laws under legislation announced today by Georgia’s House and Senate leaders.
The panel, called the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians, would be charged with “weeding through Georgia’s cumbersome tax system to bring balance, transparency and fairness to Georgia taxpayers,” according to a Senate news release about House Bill 1405.
“Georgia’s tax system is archaic and outdated,” Chance said. “Our tax system should perpetuate growth, stability and job creation in our economy. It takes money to make government work for the people. Georgians deserve a system that is fair and transparent when it comes to their money. They expect service and efficiency and this task force will find ways to meet those expectations.”
The council would consist of:
• Economists
• Two former governors
• Two appointments each by the lieutenant governor and speaker of the house
• The President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker Pro Tempore of the House
• The majority leader of the Senate and House
• The minority leader of the Senate and House; and
• The chairpersons of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Committee on Ways and Means.
The Council will examine every avenue of Georgia’s tax codes to make recommendations for change to Senate and House leaders. Legislative leaders expect “real change and significant legislation to be produced in order to update Georgia’s tax codes,” the release stated.
Once the bill passes both chambers of the legislature, it will become effective upon the governor’s signature. The council will be established as quickly as possible in order to begin the vetting process of Georgia’s tax codes. Sen. Chance is confident that the council will bring forth ideas that will generate legislation for the 2011-2012 legislative session.
