Politics & Government
State Tax Reform Delayed
Sen. Chip Rogers updated Northeast Cobb residents on the HOPE scholarship and tax reform during a town-hall meeting at Mountain View Aquatic Center.
More than a dozen Northeast Cobb residents attended a town-hall meeting Monday night at the to hear Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers speak about Georgia's progress regarding tax reform, immigration, the HOPE scholarship and education.
Rogers assigned a letter grade to assess the performance of each issue:
1) HOPE Scholarship received A+.
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2) Immigration reform received B+.
3) Tax reform received C-.
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4) Education reform received D-.
The senator did not comment about illegal immigration except to issue a letter grade.
He did have a lot to say about the HOPE scholarship, which he deemed a success. Before the HOPE scholarship, 75 percent to 80 percent of students who scored in the top 10 percent on the SAT moved out of Georgia. After the HOPE scholarship was in place, 75 percent of the top 10 percent SAT students stayed in Georgia.
In February, the Georgia House of Representatives passed HOPE legislation that forces Zell Miller Scholars to keep a 3.3 GPA, cuts the scholarships to 90 percent for all but the brightest students, and eliminates HOPE coverage for fees, books and remedial classes.
Georgia is nationally ranked 47th in SAT scores and 47th in the dropout rate, Rogers said. Despite improvements, he doesn't believe education reform will happen soon.
Concerning a tax reform proposal to reduce the state income tax, Rogers said that the IRS data had not been updated since 2005. The state could not go forward with the proposed bill based on outdated numbers. Tax reform is not dead, only delayed for this year.
Cobb County is on a three-year rotation for tax assessment and is feeling the down economy's effects, he said.
Rogers made the following points about Georgia's debt and spending:
- Georgia is the lowest-spending state in the nation per capita.
- Georgia has the lowest per capita state debt.
- Georgia has the lowest spending per capita for the state legislature, 30 percent less than the next lowest state.
- Since 2008, more than 100 state programs have been cut to help promote a balanced budget.
Residents can see how the state is spending tax dollars by visiting www.open.ga.gov.