City and county officials met Sept. 8 to discuss how funds from the proposed 2012 SPLOST would be split between the county and its municipalities.
Though voters have yet to approve the SPLOST, officials are working to determine what projects will be funded and how revenue from the one percent sales tax will be allocated.
“This is the only fair tax there is to me,” said Barrow County commission chairman Danny Yearwood. “Because everybody that comes through here and buys a hamburger or anything else or buys something and pays sales tax, it helps fund municipalities and the county.”
County chairman Danny Yearwood (right) said the proposed SPLOST was the only “fair tax” in his opinion. Yearwood was 16 minutes late to the 10 a.m. meeting due to what he described to the waiting mayors and city officials as “a situation.” Photo by Kristi Reed
If anything is learned from the Bush-era tax cuts it is this: People who have amassed significant resources did not amass those resources by buying diapers and paying electric bills and they certainly aren't going to spend enough for the government to recoup the reduction from their tax bills. The past ten years should be prove enough.
If your tax bill is reduced by $1,000 then for the government to make that up in sales tax (7% in Barrow), you will need to spend over $14,000. The $1,000 savings does not equate to $14,000 in available disposable income.
Why should I have to pay more in taxes when I save?
I'll do a comparison between myself and a neighbor. I make considerably more than they do.
I live in a nice house. They live in a trailer.
I drive a 10 year old car. They have a BMW, T-Bird, Chevy truck, and a jeep. They also have 2 ATVs and numerous other "toys".
I have a 20 something inch TV that I paid a couple hundred bucks for. They have HUGH TV that takes up one entire wall.
I shop goodwill and pair the items with ones from Neiman Marcus and Saks. They wouldn't be caught in a goodwill.
See the difference.
It's not how much you make, it's how you spend it.
It is not unfair that, when consumption is taxed, those who earn less pay proportionately more than those who earn more. Although it would equalize the proportionality to which you object, Why should someone whose income is $20k/yr pay a 1% tax for that $700 flat screen TV but someone who earns $100k/yr pay a 5% tax.
We have ample programs that keep a $20k individual from may much if anything in income taxes. The additional one percent on consumption is reasonable and fair.
What kills me is that families that hardly have any taxable income get these huge tax returns!
Where's my tax break?
And if the residents were against the SPLOST, they would have voted against it in the first place.
His point and mine. It would be nice to have some of the businesses that are locating outside of Barrow to locate inside of Barrow.
IF these businesses did, the citizens won't have to worry about a property tax increase because there would be increased sales revenue.
Barrow County tends to tell people to keep on moving, don't stop here, unless of course your family was from here.
I moved here because it was a beautiful little county, on the outside. Once I moved here and got to see the ugliness of the inside, I too can't wait for the economy to turn around so I move.