Republicans voted for a Tax increase.

(3/13/09) From The Insider Advantage Georgia: For the second year in a row, the House voted Thursday to do away with the “birthday tax” - the annual ad valorem tax that car owners pay on their cars. And for good measure, the sales tax on cars would be gone, as well, under HB 480, which cleared the chamber 133-39.

He's what the bill does:

Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, you’ll pay no sales tax on that new car and no property taxes, either. But you will pay the lesser of 7% of the purchase price or $2,000, as a title fee. If you choose not to buy a new car for the foreseeable future, you’ll continue to pay the annual “birthday tax” until you replace it.

Backers of the legislation seemed absolutely giddy over the new taxing plan.

“This is a great bill,” said Rep. Tom Rice, R-Norcross, the motor vehicles committee chairman.

Democrats weren’t all that enthusiastic about the measure, although they were unsuccessful in stopping it.

“Sure, it does away with the sales tax; it does away with the ad valorem tax,” said House Democratic Leader DuBose Porter. “It creates a brand new tax. Y’all, this is a tax increase.”

House Republican Leader Jerry Keen acknowledged that taxing casual sales would amount to a tax increase - but it would apply, he said, to “those people who’ve been doing their transactions under the table.”

We'll see how this turns out when the 2010 election begin.

Georgia GOP: The party of no agenda.

For 8 years the state republicans have ran this state & there have been no progress since 2002 when accidental governor Sonny Perdue won with the help of flaggers, teachers, etc. The GOP have no agenda for this state only a agenda to cater to their special interest groups like the Georgia Christian Coalition & other right-wing groups. Especially this year when they offered awful legislation that would require voters to show prooof of citizenship before they vote. Like I said before it's aimed at rural voters like me, poor, white, blacks, elderly voters. And a bill to raise the Sales Tax on groceries that will affect the working families of Georgia & at the same time want to cut taxes for corporations & big businesses. Unbelievable! And to top it all off a bill that would grant universal school vouchers to all students in theentire state. I understand that this legislation is still in the senate, but whoever (state legislators) votes for this bill, they will pay a price in 2010, especially down here in rural georgia. Perdue has been a absentee govenor since winning the seat, have used the post to get rich, & let the "RADICAL REPUBLICANS" run wild in the state legislature. I can go on & on with regarding the republicans, but enough is enough. It's time for the democrats to take back the governorship back in 2010 & put an end to this madness. With republicans like Chuck Sims (R-Ambrose), Cecil Staton (R-Macon) & Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) it will be easy for dems to make hay in 2010.