Video

The Union County Republican Party held their November General Meeting featuring Majority Leader Senator Steve Gooch. He discussed the current economic situation and 10% inflation rate created by Democrat policies and emphasized how our December 6th vote can directly impact our future prosperity. Changes are taking place in Georgia, and with the loss of Georgia House Speaker Ralston, we’ve lost power and influence in North Georgia, even though 70% of north Georgia residents are conservative. Most of the new leadership positions in the Republican Party are now from South Georgia. 

Some very conservative legislation was passed this last year, but there is much left to do. Some of the things he will be working on this year will be to cut the income tax in Georgia. The Republicans are working to cut it back to 4.99% from the current 6%. There is a $6 billion surplus in the state budget and part of that would be given back in a rebate to taxpayers. They are also working on options for property tax relief. A “floating” homestead exemption would freeze the amount of tax based on the price of your home when you bought it. It would only be reassessed at the higher rate when you sell the property to the next homeowner. Two thirds of your property tax goes to the schools. He reminded the assembled group that it costs $6,600 for each student in Union County, so property tax exemptions must keep that in mind. They are also looking at the film industry tax credits, which have exploded and need to be reexamined. 

A long discussion followed about our current gas tax. Governor Kemp suspended this tax for most of this year, but this is not sustainable. We have expensive road improvements and projects that need the gas tax to operate.  Nearly 54 cents is added to a gallon of gas: 18 cents is a federal tax, Georgia State adds 30 cents, and add local 3% sales tax. Without this tax, we are short $180 million a month to pay for road improvements. There is a big project coming through Union County this upcoming year that will cost approximately $170 million. 

He recently attended a meeting with General Motors who stated by 2035, they have agreed to get rid of all gas powered cars. Since electric cars use our roads and bridges, he assured the crowd that they will not have a free lunch. There are three options for electric car owners: An annual fee, a tax at the charging station, or a price per mile option. 

Criminal justice reform is a current and urgent topic at the state capitol. A lot of the unelected judges are letting the criminals off the hook on their own recognizance. Sen. Gooch stated that by no means should they be on their own recognizance and hopes to enact a crackdown. 

He reminded the group that their vote on December 6 was critical to Georgia’s future.