Alan Essig Author Blog Budget and Taxes A Double Standard for Sales Tax Breaks May 14, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Alan Essig | 1 Comment on A Double Standard for Sales Tax Breaks Tax breaks should be decided on their merits, not based on the pull of powerful lobbyists. Unfortunately, the governor seems to have taken the opposite course this month in his treatment of two sales tax exemptions. While he vetoed renewal of a sales tax exemption for food donated to food banks, items purchased by volunteer […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Budget and Taxes Library Reports Wesley Tharpe Tax Revisions Keep Georgia on the Wrong Path May 10, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Adding Up the Fiscal Notes: Closing the Books on 2013 Tax revisions passed by the Georgia Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal this year will cost an estimated $168 million over five years, draining more scarce resources on top of years of damaging cuts to schools, job training, health care and other […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney New Study Shows Significant Benefits for Medicaid Expansion, Contrary to Opponents’ Claims May 3, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney Opponents of Medicaid expansion are misrepresenting the findings of a new study to argue that Georgia and other states shouldn’t extend this vital health coverage to more people without health insurance. Contrary to what some in the anti-expansion camp argue, the study – which updates findings from an earlier look at how Medicaid benefited some […] Read more »
Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Georgia’s College Students Squeezed Again April 25, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Georgia’s College Students Squeezed Again It just got tougher for Georgia’s students to afford college. Last week the Board of Regents of the state’s university system raised tuition for fall 2013. The tuition hikes range from a high of 7 percent at Georgia Tech to 2.5 percent at state universities. Students at the state’s flagship, the University of Georgia, will […] Read more » K-12
Author Fact Sheets Library Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Georgia Making Progress, Still a Steep Hill to Climb April 24, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Georgia’s economy is adding jobs at a strong pace compared to other states, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only California and Florida added more jobs than Georgia in March and the state’s unemployment rate is now at its lowest point since January 2009. But despite its promising […] Read more »
Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Georgia Omits Critical Part of Common Core: Educators April 19, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 2 Comments on Georgia Omits Critical Part of Common Core: Educators Georgia is rolling out ambitious new standards for student performance in K-12, but is skimping on needed comprehensive financial support that would clear a path for success. The Common Core Georgia Performance Standards are rigorous goals that outline what students should know and be able to do in math and English as they progress through […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia Shouldn’t Shift Aid to Families to Nonprofits April 18, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 2 Comments on Georgia Shouldn’t Shift Aid to Families to Nonprofits To expand Georgia’s economy, the state should reassess the way it allocates resources. For the last few years, Georgia cut state spending on supports for low-income families and increasingly relied on other sources to provide services – which potentially reduced the total services available to these families, as new data shows. To give low-income families […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Medicaid Funding Shortfall Still Looms April 8, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney The General Assembly renewed the state’s hospital provider fee to fund Medicaid in the early weeks of the 2013 session.The fee was set to expire this June. By renewing the fee four more years, Georgia’s lawmakers continue a vitally import source of revenue. The fee raises money that will pay doctors, hospitals and other providers […] Read more »
Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Georgia Expands Use of Subsidies in New Budget April 8, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 1 Comment on Georgia Expands Use of Subsidies in New Budget The 2014 budget passed by the General Assembly keeps most of Georgia’s economic development spending unchanged from Gov. Nathan Deal’s recommendation, except for an extra $5 million for business subsidies in rural parts of the state. Georgia is set to spend nearly $104 million in the upcoming budget year on development-oriented programs through the Departments […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson State Budget Leaves Needs of Many Unmet April 8, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson The Georgia Legislature approved a 2014 budget March 28 for the Department of Human Services that is an improvement over the governor’s 2014 budget proposal, but still leaves the needs of large numbers of Georgians unmet. The budget sustains the 20 percent cut to the department’s resources since 2009. It does not add child and […] Read more »
