By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
OCT. 21, 2022 | While the Georgia Constitution gives wide leeway to the state Legislature, it also restricts these politicians from changing any Constitutional provisions without the public input.
The result is that often in statewide elections, the Legislature must get approval from the voters for any attempt to change our Constitution. That gives the average person and voter some limited protection from the Legislature ramming bad legislation down the voter’s throat.
Therefore, routinely in General Elections voters are faced with changes to the Constitution. And in most cases, if you look closely, such changes would give some element of Georgia benefits that most people don’t get. In effect, such a change always throws our state’s tax system out of whack again.
The good old boys (and these days good old girls) are simply trying to give an important constituent a political plum in the form of tax break, which is not available to ordinary citizens. And that means the tax system of Georgia is more out of line every time someone gets an exemption.
So again in 2022, we have proposed changes to the Georgia Constitution that are facing voters. In past years, the proposals have sometimes been written so as make them confusing as to what the citizen is asked to vote for.
In 2022, there are four measures up for grabs this time.
Amendment One: “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to suspend the compensation of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State School Superintendent, Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Labor, or any member of the General Assembly while such individual is suspended from office following indictment for a felony?”
What this seeks to remedy is what happened when the recent Insurance Commission was indicted and eventually sent to prison for theft. But before conviction, he still drew his salary from the state.
While it sounds good, did you note that the records would be in secret? What? That’s right. The extended wording reads in part: “(f) The report and records of the commission and the fact that the public official has or has not been suspended shall not be admissible in evidence in any court for any purpose. The report and record of the commission shall not be open to the public.”
That’s reason enough to vote against this measure. The peoples’ proceedings should always be in open records. Vote No.
Amendment Two: “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the governing authority of each county, municipality, and consolidated government and the board of education of each independent and county school system in this state shall be authorized to grant temporary tax relief to properties within its jurisdiction which are severely damaged or destroyed as a result of a disaster and located within a nationally declared disaster area?
This would provide temporary humanitarian tax relief, and we emphasize temporary, to victims of natural disasters, as determined by local government.
However, we would want local governments to provide the exemption for only one year at a time, to be renewed if needed. Often measures supposed to be temporary seem to last forever. By limiting the relief to one year, having to be reapproved by the local government each year, would be an improvement on the current wording. Vote “Yes” on humanitarian terms.
Amendment Three: “Shall the Act be approved which grants a state-wide exemption from all ad valorem taxes for certain equipment used by timber producers in the production or harvest of timber?”
Amendment Four: “Shall the Act be approved which expands a state-wide exemption from ad valorem taxes for agricultural equipment and certain farm products held by certain entities to include entities comprising two or more family owned farm entities, and which adds dairy products and unfertilized eggs of poultry as qualified farm products with respect to such exemption?”
Let’s discuss the last two together, since both are aimed at agriculture, one for timber production and the other for agriculture in general. Both these changes would really, really harm our state, in that heavy equipment, which cost thousands of dollars, would be exempt from taxes.
This exemption is not just aimed at the family farm. Many timber and agricultural units are big…. large….massive multi-million dollar corporations. They seek this exemption with language that could confuse some voters that it’s aimed at the 40 acre farmer. Not so.
Agricultural operations are of great benefit to our state, and our largest industry. But giving a tax benefit to this industry differently from other individual family farms, or even other industries, is a dis-service to us taxpayers and the state of Georgia, and further throws equalized taxes out of kilter.
What were these legislators thinking?
Treat everyone alike should be the mantra of the Legislature. Vote “No” on No. 3-4.
So, we conclude:
VOTE AGAINST Amendments 1, 3, and 4.
VOTE FOR Amendment 2.
But mainly, if you have not, get out and vote!
Topic for October 25 issue: consideration of 2022 SPLOST proposal on the ballot.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Follow Us