Comments on: Georgia Senate passes jobs tax breaks

By: Tonto

Tonto — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:45:54 +0000

HB 481 – Jobs, Opportunity, and Business Success Act of 2009 is nothing but another Republican give away. The way I read this bill, a business can layoff their present workers and replace them off of the state unemployment list and receive $2400 per employee in two years without increasing the number of employees. They also reduce their payment into the unemployment fund by $25-$125 per quarter per employee. Why wouldn’t a business layoff their present janitor and replace him with an unemployed worker and pocket the money? This bill is especially bad for unskilled workers like cashiers and service people who can be easily replaced by the unemployed. Is this a payoff to Kia, too? If Kia delays hiring their auto workers until this summer when the bill is effective, they could receive millions of additional dollars to send back to South Korea that Georgia taxpayers would have to replace. It seems that this will be bad for hiring now because businesses will hold off hiring until the bill is effective and bad for those that have a job now that will be laid off when the bill becomes effective.

By: NARDINE CANTRELL

NARDINE CANTRELL — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:39:14 +0000

WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHY THE REPUBLICANS CONTINUE TO COME UP WITH THE SAME NONSENSE THAT THEY KNOW WILL NOT BENEFIT THE CITIZENS OF GA.? NOW THEY WILL GIVE BUSINESS A TAX BREAK , BUT WILL NOT GIVE THE PEOPLE A BREAK FOR CAR AND TAG TAXES!!!!!! I DON’T UNDERSTAND? WHY ARE WE STILL PAYING TAXES FOR OUR CARS AND TAGS?

By: Mark Anthony

Mark Anthony — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:44:23 +0000

Meaningless posturing by the republicans. They ignore the math and go for the message. Except it is only meaningless in terms of its intention. It won’t affect hiring at all. What is meaningful is that it will lower the state’s income at a time when it can’t afford it.

By: JSR

JSR — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:00:39 +0000

What this story doesn’t tell you is that the $2,400 tax credit is only applicable if you hire someone who is has been unemployed for at least 6 months and then you have to retain that employee for at least 2 years. Will it inspire any hiring? Absolutely not. As a small business owner, I am not about to let the State of GA tell me who I have to hire and how long I have to keep them just so that I can get at $2,400 tax credit. Trust me, it will cost me a lot more in salary, benefits, social security and medicare than $2,400 to hire an employee I don’t need. This is a meaningless piece of legislation and the authors are fully aware of that. It will not cost the State a whole heck of tax revenue because no employer will hire an employee based solely on this gem. It’s purpose is to grab a headline and make a legislator sound important and meaningful. LOL….

By: David

David — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:11:48 +0000

This is just more typical dumb republican politics–
My business will not be hiring anyone until we get more work…
A $2,400 tax break to hire someone at a salary of between $40K nad $100K?– not until we have the work to justify it…

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:19:19 +0000

With an unemployment level so high businesses will see that it is easy to hire here and more profitable for the companies.

Anytime anyone lowers taxes I’m going to applaud. Now they need to lower spending and end the income tax as well.

Tony if you’re a CPA then you’re well aware what an impact taxes have on the bottom line. Besides the government can just run their general fund into the negative. Who is to tell them otherwise? : o ( for expanding the debt service funds.

By: Tony Kiene

Tony Kiene — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:18:10 +0000

Comment to Bob above.
This will make businesse run from Georgia because now there will not be a workforce here. why? Because the individual state income tax will go up NOBODY will want to live here.

By: Tony Kiene

Tony Kiene — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:16:37 +0000

I am a CPA and I tell you this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard come out of the sessions. Georgia is already on the verge of financial collapse and they propose to cut a MAJOR source of funding? What idiots!
What will now happen is that personal income taxes, sales taxes on individuals, etc. will go up proportinately to cover the huge deficit created by this bill.
Good God, this is what happens when you have lawyers trying to set fiscal policy.

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:30:35 +0000

Abondon the income tax and raise the sales tax. Stop hurting us by doing both so we can only deduct one on our federal taxes. I pay an extra $1,000+ in income taxes to the federal government each year that would otherwise be exempted.

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:28:38 +0000

This will make GA more competitive getting businesses to build here as it lowers their cost of doing business. It’s seems like a good idea.

Now I’m sure my state income tax is going to increase to make up for the loss of revenue.