No Property Taxes in Georgia?

No property taxes in Georgia. For many homeowners that sounds like a great idea. But others say it comes with a hefty price – they don't want it to sacrifice funding for public schools.

Georgia's house speaker is proposing a bill that would erase property taxes in Georgia. But about 55 percent of revenue generated by property taxes goes to public schools. Lawmakers say the school portion of property taxes would be replaced by a four percent state sales tax on groceries, lottery tickets and other services.

Thursday – Savannah-Chatham school board members, representatives from the city and parent and teacher organizations expressed their concerns about the tax reform bill.

"If we can't fund public education here in Chatham County because we have a stable means of revenue, that's an issue. You can be possibly talking about doing away with transportation. You could be talking about no magnet programs, no academies," says Lori Brady, District 6 SCCPSS board member.

Property Owners Weigh In

"Three years, going on four," that's how long Terry Heaton’s lived in Georgetown. But he's owned property for longer than that and admits no taxes sounds good.

"Taxation in general should be as evenly distributed as possible. When you're talking about coming out of school tax money, there's a lot more people that buy groceries and products in general than own property," says Terry.

So he thinks the change may generate more money for schools than before. But others aren't so sure.

"I’m a property owner, I’m also a teacher, I would love to not have to pay property taxes, but I don't want to have to not pay property taxes at the expense of the education of our children. Cause I’m also a mother and a grandmother," says Mary Snowden with the Chatham Association of Educators.

Terry also wants the best education for the little ones in his community. And he actually doesn’t think the legislation will go through. "I actually doubt it. Property tax has been around for a long, long time and it seems a lot easier to tax something than it does to take a tax off of something," says Terry.

Stephens-Day

If you own a home in Chatham County, you're probably already saving money on your taxes – thanks to the Stephens-Day Bill. It freezes your home's tax value at the amount you paid for the house when you bought it.

Representative Ron Stephens, one of the creators of that bill, agrees with eliminating property taxes. He just wants to make sure it's done the right way.

Educators Discuss Concerns About Tax Reform

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