Georgia
Is it possible to get rid of income tax in Georgia?
While Georgians watch their income tax obligations decrease, could state leaders eliminate the burden altogether?
“Georgia currently receives about half of its annual revenue from the income tax, and the vast majority of that comes from the personal income tax,” Kyle Wingfield, Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s president and CEO, told The Center Square. “If we assume the state isn’t going to cut half of its budget, Georgians would most likely see a sizable increase in sales taxes — by adding the sales tax to things like services, groceries and other exempted items and/or by increasing the sales tax rate on all taxed items.
“The Georgia Public Policy Foundation previously published a study in 2021 showing that the personal income tax rate could be cut to 3% by applying the sales tax to a wide variety of services; it’s unclear how much the study’s assumptions might have changed since then due to significant inflation, and we did not study how much the sales tax rate might have to be increased in order to eliminate the income tax altogether,” Wingfield added.
In April, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a series of tax bills, including a measure to speed up a decrease in the state’s personal income tax rate. House Bill 1015 lowers the individual income tax rate from 5.49% to 5.39% for the tax years starting Jan. 1, 2024.
It decreases the rate by 0.1% annually starting Jan. 1, 2025, until it reaches 4.99%.
During May’s Republican primary, roughly 64.6% of voters cast ballots in favor of a question asking whether the legislature should enact the FairTax, replacing the state income and state sales taxes with a consumption tax equal to current state funding.
It would not tax legal citizens or families up to the poverty level of spending.
An analysis from The Buckeye Institute, a Columbus, Ohio-based think tank, found an incremental personal income tax cut to 3.99% by 2030 would generate more jobs and economic growth.
“A state’s tax code should be simple and transparent, neutral (minimal impact on people’s decisions), and predictable,” Tony West, state director of Americans for Prosperity, told The Center Square via email. “There are many approaches to tax reform—the fair tax included—that could be characterized by these principles. What’s most important for any major reform is that taxpayer dollars are used wisely, and no more is collected than necessary to perform the basic functions of government.”
Lt. Governor Burt Jones has been a proponent of eliminating the Peach State’s income tax.
If Georgia moved to a FairTax or eliminated its state income tax, where would taxpayers expect to pay more, presuming the state would continue to collect the same amount of taxes and fees?
“I’ve long advocated for phasing out the state income tax in Georgia and believe it’s the best way to keep Georgia pro-business and pro-growth and maintain our competitive edge with surrounding states,” Jones, a Republican, said in a statement to The Center Square. “Cutting taxes spurs economic growth, creating new revenues for the state. These conservative, pro-growth policies for Georgia families, work for Georgia businesses, and work for Georgia’s budget.”
22 sea turtles released into the ocean at Jekyll Island
Mystic Aquarium, a Connecticut-based aquarium and animal rescue organization, released 22 sea turtles into the Ocean at Jekyll Island.
A quiet stretch of the Georgia coast is back in the national spotlight.
In a recent feature, Southern Living highlighted the Golden Isles as one of the South’s most serene escapes, praising the region’s undeveloped marshes, barrier islands and slower pace compared to other East Coast beach destinations.
Located roughly halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, the Golden Isles include Brunswick, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Little St. Simons Island.
Here’s what to know.
What makes Georgia’s Golden Isles different?
Unlike more densely developed beach towns in neighboring states, Georgia’s coastline is defined by tidal creeks, salt marshes and wide stretches of protected land.
“The coast of Georgia is quite different than the shores of North Carolina or South Carolina,” Southern Living wrote. “It’s wilder and quieter, and it’s much less populated with beach towns.”
While the islands offer modern resorts and vacation homes, much of the natural character remains intact.
One of the most photographed spots is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, known for its haunting remains of a maritime forest scattered along the shoreline.
Where are visitors staying?
The publication pointed to several well-known properties across the islands:
- The Cloister at Sea Island
- Jekyll Island Club Resort
- St. Simons Island: The Grey Owl Inn and the St. Simons Lighthouse.
Little St. Simons Island, accessible only by boat, was highlighted for its all-inclusive lodge and thousands of acres of protected marshland and upland habitat.
What can you do in the Golden Isles?
Southern Living emphasized simple, immersive experiences:
- Biking under live oaks
- Kayaking through marsh creeks
- Horseback riding along the beach
- Watching sunsets over the water.
Public beaches like East Beach on St. Simons Island remain open to visitors, while golf courses on Jekyll Island and St. Simons offer year-round play.
The region’s history also plays a major role. Visitors can climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, explore historic districts in Brunswick or learn about Gullah Geechee heritage through local organizations.
For more information, visit southernliving.com/georgias-golden-isles-11906085.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…
“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”
Key allocations in the amended budget include:
- Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
- Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
- Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
- Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
- Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.
Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”
MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.
According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.
RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’
WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:
The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.
DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”
Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)
However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.
RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout
GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.
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