ATLANTA (June 15, 2017) | Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R – Rome) has been appointed by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle to serve as a member of the Senate Special Tax Exemption Study Committee.
“The State of Georgia has given many tax credits over the years, often in the range of half a billion dollars per year,” said Sen. Hufstetler. “In my first year as Senate Finance Committee Chairman, I realized there was no mechanism in place to follow these tax credits and see if the return on investment was truly there. I worked with one of my subcommittee chairs, Sen. John Albers (R – Roswell), who wrote legislation that I cosponsored to set up a process to follow up on these credits and determine the value of them. Many of these, such as those that have made us near the top in the nation in movie production, are probably paying off while some of them are probably not. It is our hope that this committee will set up a better, more business-like process to make sure the taxpayers of Georgia are getting a return on these projects and that the companies receiving these credits are keeping their commitments to our citizens.”
“These study committees are invaluable resources for the legislature as we seek to build a stronger, more economically productive state – in which all Georgians are rewarded for their hard work,” said Lt. Governor Cagle. “Our chairmen and committee members will thoroughly evaluate these issues to determine how the state of Georgia can maximize our potential. I am confident Sen. Hufstetler will bring forward new ideas to build a better Georgia as we prepare for our next legislative session and beyond.”
The Senate Special Tax Exemption Study Committee was created by the passage of Senate Resolution 222 during the 2017 legislative session. As stated in the resolution, the committee shall be comprised of six members of the Senate. The committee must report its findings on or before December 1, 2017.
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For Immediate Release:
June 15, 2017
Elisabeth Fletcher, Communications Associate
elisabeth.fletcher@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028