Tax Day!

Tomorrow, April 15th, is Tax Day.  This is the best time to become aware of how much of your income went to taxes last year, and where, by jotting down a list of how much you paid in federal, state, property, and sales taxes.  Make sure to separate your property tax bill by how much went to the Fulton County school system, the Fulton County government, and to the city of Johns Creek.  You can estimate your sales taxes by multiplying your income after taxes by about 5%.

In looking at your federal income taxes, you should transfer about $160 of that amount to your city of Johns Creek property tax bill, because although the federal government collects it, it is returned to the city of Johns Creek to pay for road improvements, traffic lights, and sidewalks.  In looking at the Fulton County School tax, which is the largest share of your property tax bill, be aware that the school system spends more than $130,000 per child to provide 13 years of K-12 education.  To those who have, had, or will have children in our excellent Johns Creek schools, you can calculate how many years of property tax bills you will need to pay to cover that cost for your children.

On May 20th, you have the opportunity to vote for whom you would like to represent your view on taxes at the federal, state, county, school board, and Johns Creek City Council levels.  All nine candidates for Johns Creek City Council are opposed to increasing Johns Creek property taxes.  As one of the candidates for City Council Post 6, I am definitely opposed to increasing taxes given that the city just received a very sizeable increase in its sales tax revenues allocation. 

The real question, though, is other than making the typical politician promise to oppose tax increases, what will each candidate actually work to do to make sure that tax increases are not foisted on us in the future.  I believe that the city council should do at least the following six things.  First, scrub through the budget to eliminate any waste and padding.  Second, require the use of multi-year budgets to plan ahead for future expenses resulting from current commitments, such as maintenance costs for new sidewalks, pavilions, etc.  Third, prioritize needs over wants.  Fourth, include budget impact analyses in zoning evaluations to ensure that growth adds more revenue than costs.  Fifth, work to fill empty storefronts and increase our tax base.  And sixth, ensure that any referenda on issues with the potential to increase taxes be held only in conjunction with November presidential elections when voter participation is highest.