The Georgia General Assembly is considering repealing the sales tax exemptions for groceries and allow residents to deduct the sales tax on their annual income tax filing.
This is the most absurd plan imaginable. To claim your deduction you would have to keep all your grocery receipts, and you would not see that money refunded till you filed your taxes the next year.
The Sponsor of the bill, Chuck Sims (R-Ambrose) says people would be able to deduct the cost of the sales tax by saving their receipts and documenting how much they’ve paid in taxes or by taking a standard deduction based on family size. You can be sure that no one is going to be able to keep up with fifty-two weeks of grocery receipts, which leaves the standard deduction. And that will be less than the actual taxes paid by people.
This bill is a tax on the poor at a time when food prices are high and will be going higher. Proponents rationalize that it will bring in money from non-residents who purchase groceries in GA but who do not file state income tax returns. However this tax will be paid by every single person who grocery shops and those who pay income taxes in Georgia will have to wait a year to get their ‘deduction.’
Fax your legislator and tell them to oppose raising taxes on the poor!
