ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia’s state senators want to take a closer look at tax breaks.
Senators voted 54-0 on Monday to pass Senate Bill 302, sending it to the House for more debate.
The measure would let lawmakers request analyses of up to 10 tax breaks each year, examining how much revenue the state is giving up as well as how much economic activity a tax break might be supporting. The subject has new relevance this year with lagging revenues and highly critical audits of Georgia’s film tax credit.
Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed a similar tax credit review bill last year, saying the examinations should be done by an outside auditor instead of a state agency to make sure the look is objective. Sen. John Albers, a Roswell Republican, says he agreed with Kemp’s point and introduced a new bill this year with that provision.
The leaders of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees could each request up to five reviews a year, which would be ready in time for action in the following session. That’s a downscaling from Albers’ original aim, which was to require an analysis of existing tax breaks over seven years.
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