Albers: Explore Transportation Funding Options That Don't Raise Taxes

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State Senator John Albers (R-Roswell) has recently called on the Georgia General Assembly to look at transportation funding options that do not include tax increases for Georgia’s citizens, according to a press release from the Georgia Senate Press Office.

“Public trust is paramount to solving our transportation funding crisis,” Albers said. “We need to develop a solution that not only allows us to properly support Georgia’s rapidly growing population and repair our ailing transportation infrastructure, but also allows for accountability and transparency with the funds utilized for our transportation projects.”

The state budget dropped exponentially during the recession in fiscal year 2010. In recent years, Georgia regained approximately $5 billion in annual revenue. The state is forecasted to grow an additional $1 billion in revenue each year starting in fiscal year 2016, the press office said.

With that in mind, Sen. Albers suggests taking a “reasonable percentage” of the annual revenue and putting it towards our transportation infrastructure.

“We have an opportunity to invest in the current growth in Georgia, while living within our means,” Albers added. “By prioritizing the revenue increase we are already anticipating, we can eliminate unnecessary tax increases and still ensure our public is safe.”

Sen. Albers suggests using a weighted scale that factors in public safety, critical infrastructure repair and traffic congestion relief, in an effort to prioritize transportation projects. The proposed list will be available on the state website and updated quarterly.

Sen. John Albers serves as chairman of the State and Local Government Operations. He represents the 56th Senate District which includes portions of North Fulton and Cherokee counties. He may be reached at his office at 404.463.8055 or by email at john.albers@senate.ga.gov.

Photo credit: Georgia General Assembly