Georgia Lawmakers Concerned About Timing of Sales Tax Holiday

Updated: Sun 10:13 PM, May 09, 2004

While that's good news for consumers, some lawmakers are skeptical about the bill's timing.

Georgia shoppers say the renewal of Georgia's four-day sales tax holiday is a win-win situation or consumers and local retailers.

Glenda Wilcox, a Georgia shopper, says, "I think it's great it'll be right before school time I do a lot of shopping for my grand kids for school."

Timothy Grayson, also a Georgia shopper, says, "The people who work in Georgia will look forward to that as well the big problem is that people go down to Florida when they have their sales tax holiday and take all that business to Florida."

But in a time when lawmakers are in a special session scrambling to balance the 2005 fiscal year budget, Perdue is getting flack by some lawmakers for making a decision that could set the state back.

Lawmakers estimate $12 million will be lost in revenue for the state because of the four-day sales tax break, but local shoppers say they see a silver lining.

"If there was a sales tax holiday that would actually encourage people to spend money here in Georgia and in fact the revenue will be made up by the increase amount of spending," adds Timothy Grayson.

Despite the fact that the anticipated lost revenue is not accounted for in the 2004 budget, the governor is standing behind the sales tax holiday. He says there are other things in the budget to help pay for efforts of reducing taxes for citizens.

The sales tax holiday runs July 29 through August 1. Shoppers can buy clothes, school supplies and computers free of state and local taxes.

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