In addition to federal, state, and local races, we have three questions on the ballot here in Georgia. Two of the ballot questions would amend the state’s constitution, while the other one is a non-binding question related to tax policy.
The three ballot questions concern measures that had wide (and rare) bipartisan support in the General Assembly. Rep. Mesha Mainor (R-56th District) explains, “All three measures passed the General Assembly with nearly unanimous consent.”
Naturally, there’s propaganda going around that Democrats are using to attempt to scare voters into voting no on these ballot questions, complete with class-warfare rhetoric. Far-left organizations sent out a text to voters, and I’m seeing some people, including well-meaning conservatives, share the propaganda on social media.
(Side note: anytime you see something on social media that includes “copied from a friend” or “shared post,” double and triple-check it for veracity. Don’t believe everything you read.)
It’s time to set the record straight.
The first question on the ballot asks, "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize the General Assembly to provide by general law for a state-wide homestead exemption that serves to limit increases in the assessed value of homesteads, but which any county, consolidated government, municipality, or local school system may opt out of upon the completion of certain procedures?"
Here's what the propaganda has to say about this ballot question (all grammatical and punctuation errors are in the original):
1. House Bill 1022 - this effectively makes a statewide exemption that puts home values across all counties equal, taking the power away from the local municipality to determine home values and the mileage rate. This means that areas like Alpharetta, (Which is where the author of this new Bill lives) will see their taxes go down while ours will go up!! VOTE NO ON HOUSE RESOLUTION 1022
Naturally, this is an oversimplification that is more interested in a class-warfare, us-vs.-them narrative than it is in tax policy. The state doesn’t take home valuations away from local authorities; instead, it limits value increases beyond the level of inflation.
“Notably, this legislation only applies to homesteads; commercial, industrial, and agricultural properties are not affected, nor are any non-homestead residences,” writes the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. “Despite a common misconception – that the state is taking the power away from local governments to determine home values and millage rates – this statewide referendum preserves those functions at the local level. Nor is there any equalization of home values across county lines.”
“This will protect you as a homeowner, providing uniformity in property increases, with some exceptions for local governments,” explains Erick Erickson.
No legislation is perfect, but this measure will help prevent counties and municipalities from raising property taxes too much in a year for plenty of families throughout the state. Voting yes can help prevent sticker shock when local governments determine property values.
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Question two asks, "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide for the Georgia Tax Court to be vested with the judicial power of the state and to have venue, judges, and jurisdiction concurrent with superior courts?"
And here’s the Democrat propaganda:
2. House Resolution 598- If passed, this Bill will fold the Georgia Tax Court under the jurisdiction of the Superior Court. Here’s the kicker… this new court would no longer be elected by the people but instead, the governor would appoint the Chief Justice over the court who would then have the power to appoint the remaining members, taking away any power that we have with our votes. Again, here’s the kicker… unlike currently under the separate Georgia Tax Court where if you want to appeal your taxes you can represent yourself in court without any fees, under this new Bill you can no longer represent yourself. You will be required to obtain an attorney and be responsible for all legal fees and court costs. VOTE NO ON RESOLUTION 598
Oooh, two kickers! Here’s the thing: the Democrats are blowing it on special teams with these kickers because they’re lying.
The way tax policy in Georgia works now is that if you have any questions or issues with your taxes, you deal directly with the Department of Revenue. I’m sure there are many wonderful people at the DoR, but we don’t elect them, despite what the Dems want you to think. They’re unelected bureaucrats whose interest is to make sure you give them money.
The Tax Court would take the issue of tax questions out of the hands of bureaucrats and place it in front of an impartial judiciary. And taxpayers can represent themselves in front of the court.
“You do not have to hire an attorney,” Mainor explains. “You can do all of this yourself if that’s your choice as people always have, but it’ll be easier.”
“Setting up a tax court, particularly as taxes become more complicated, will provide a level of nonpartisan competence from people who understand tax law but who do not benefit from its collection,” Erickson points out.
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The third ballot question asks, “Do you approve the Act that increases an exemption from property tax for all tangible personal property from $7,500.00 to $20,000.00?”
Show of hands: who wants fewer tax exemptions? Hello? Nobody? I rest my case.
But seriously, the Democrats’ propaganda relies on more class warfare (and grammatical and spelling mistakes) to try to convince people to vote no:
3. House Resolution 808- At first glance it seems great to raise the exemption from $6,500 to $20,000 but the deeper implications were explained in the meeting. It doesn’t just refer to property taxes it says all tangible “PERSONAL” property. Once again this will benefit those in wealthier counties by allowing tax right-offs that most folks in our community will not be able to take advantage of at all. Here’s the kicker on this bill … the tax revenue lost could reach $250 million a year which will negatively affect funding for our area schools. It could also mean local counties might need to initiate a local option sales tax to make up the lost revenue.
Here's the truth. This bill would benefit small business owners as well as wealthy owners, and it will help businesses in lower-income communities as much as entrepreneurs in tony locales.
“Vote YES to increase your tax write-off for tangible personal property related to business expenses from $7,500 to $20,000,” Mainor puts it straightforwardly.
Georgia has already smashed records for early voting, but there’s still plenty of time for plenty of people to go to the polls. If you haven’t voted yet in Georgia, know your stuff, and don’t fall for class-warfare scare tactics.
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