The proposed budget presented by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp provided for some state employee pay raises, property tax relief payments and tax refunds.
Governor Kemp identified several tax-related and pay-related proposals during his inaugural remarks recently. As reported by Fox5Atlanta, the governor’s statement included references to $2,000 raises for several classifications of state employees, such as “law enforcement, teachers, pre-K teachers and certified kindergarten-12 grade personnel.”
Kemp justified his government largesse by asserting that “high turnover made tough jobs harder and his strategy to staff state departments is to offer competitive wages.” In his inaugural address, Governor Kemp elaborated: “From the classroom to the state patrol, if you want to keep good people in jobs critical to the safety and well-being of our children and our communities and our state as a whole, we must be willing to be competitive with state salaries.”
The governor’s largess was not limited to pay raises. As reported, “Kemp also announced plans to recommend $1 billion in income tax refunds to Georgia taxpayers. He’ll also recommend $1.1 billion for one-time homeowner property tax relief payments.”
Rare among states, the Fox5 report claimed that “Georgia ended the 2022 budget year with a $6.6 billion surplus. Last year, the state allocated $1.1 billion for refunds: $500 to dual-earner households, $250 to single adults with dependents and $250 for single adults.” Additionally, property tax relief could be about $500 a year for homeowners.
