Georgia lawmakers near draft proposal on eliminating state income tax

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A special legislative study committee examining whether Georgia should eliminate its income tax held one of its final meetings on Monday, signaling that a draft proposal could be released before lawmakers return to the Capitol in January.

The committee, chaired by state Sen. Blake Tillery, has spent months weighing how to replace roughly $20 billion a year generated by Georgia’s income tax — more than half the state’s general fund.

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One option discussed on Monday included scaling back or eliminating tax credits and exemptions, which the Department of Revenue says total $30 billion across income and sales tax categories.

Outside the hearing room, a packed agenda was ta