Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, September 15, 2021/Page 2A
(Eift Aiiuancg
General Assembly expected
to take up state-level
Earned Income Tax Credit
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
With Georgia’s finances
in better shape than last year
at this time, the General As
sembly is expected to con
sider tax relief this winter
aimed at low- and middle-
income Georgia families.
House Bill 510, which
was introduced last Febru
ary, would provide a state-
level Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC) modeled
after a federal tax credit
that has been around since
1975.
A state EITC would
help prop up the bottom
fines of working Georgians
whose livelihoods were dis
rupted by the coronavirus
pandemic, said Georgia
Rep. Ron Stephens, one of
the bill’s cosponsors.
“The other side be
lieves cutting government
checks is the answer,” said
Stephens, R-Savannah. “We
believe in incentivizing
those people who will go
out and work to continue to
work.”
Democrats as well as
Republicans back the legis
lation. Rep. Scott Holcomb,
D-Atlanta, is also among its
cosponsors.
The measure also en
joys public support. A
statewide poll released
last month by the Georgia
Budget and Policy Institute
found nearly 70% approval
for using some of Georgia’s
share of federal COVID-19
relief funds to create a state-
level Earned Income Tax
Credit.
Danny Kanso, a senior
policy analyst with the in
stitute, said President Joe
Biden’s $1.2 trillion infra
structure bill making its
way through Congress will
provide plenty of money
for water and sewer im
provements and expanding
broadband in Georgia.
That means the $4.8
billion the state will be re
ceiving from the Ameri
can Rescue Plan Congress
passed last March should be
available for the proposed
tax credit, he said. The cred
it would cost the state about
$130 million a year, accord
ing to the institute’s calcula
tions.
“It would benefit over a
million kids in Georgia and
their families,” Kanso said.
“In some rural counties,
above 50% of the families
are eligible. That’s a strong
motivator for rural lawmak
ers.”
Under House Bill 510,
Georgians would qualify
for the state-level EITC if
they are eligible to receive
the federal tax credit. The
state-level credit would
equal 10% of what qualified
taxpayers receive from the
federal credit.
Kanso said nearly 30
states already have a state-
level Earned Income Tax
Credit, including South
Carolina and other heavily
Republican states.
Kyle Wingfield, presi
dent and CEO of the Geor
gia Public Policy Founda
tion, said the budget surplus
the state has built up despite
the economic ravages of the
pandemic means the Gen
eral Assembly can afford a
state-level EITC.
“Georgia’s good fis
cal stewardship, especially
during the pandemic, has
Gospel Sing—
The Lyons Church
of God of Prophecy,
126 Victory Circle, will
host a sing with the
Duncans on Sunday,
September 19, be
ginning at 10:30 a.m,
Everyone is invited
to attend,
Homecoming—
Oasis Church of
put it in a good position to
provide relief to Georgia
taxpayers,” Wingfield said.
“We expect a variety of
strong proposals to do just
that.”
Stephens said he ex
pects legislative Republi
cans to push several tax-
relief proposals during the
2022 legislative session,
including a further rollback
of Georgia’s income tax
rate. Lawmakers reduced
the rate from 6% in 2018
to 5.75% but have yet to
deliver a promised second
round of tax cutting, citing
the effects of the pandemic
on the state’s finances.
Stephens said he’d like
to see the state income tax
rate reduced to 5.5% or less.
“We need to cut back
our income tax to compete
with surrounding states,
particularly North Caro
lina,” he said.
Besides cutting Geor
gia’s income tax rate and
providing a state-level
Earned Income Tax Credit,
Stephens said lawmakers
also may consider exempt
ing retired veterans from
state income taxes.
This story available through a
news partnership with Capitol Beat
News Service, a project of the Georgia
Press Educational Foundation.
God in Lyons will cel
ebrate Homecoming
on Sunday, Septem
ber 19, at 10:30 a.m,
The guest speaker will
be Pastor Gene
Cheney, with guest
singers Grace Church
Family. A meal will
follow the service.
Everyone is invited
to attend.
ODDS
NDS
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
An overlooked alco
hol license was addressed
during the Lyons City
Council meeting on Sep
tember 8.
Aman Quick Stop
has been retailing alcohol
within city limits for four
years without a city li
cense to do so. Owner Jay-
endrabhai Patel explained
that he was unaware the
convenience store needed
a city license to sell the
product. “I have a state li
cense,” he explained. “Be
cause of that, I thought
I was O.K. and had all I
needed.”
Patel’s obtaining of
a state license without a
city license is an oversight
on the state’s part, accord
ing to City Manager Jason
Hall. Hall said that the
City was made aware of
Patel’s situation during a
check on business licenses
for establishments within
the city limits. Upon re
alizing the issue, city of
ficials suspended the con
venience store’s alcohol
retails until a city license
could be granted.
Councilman John
Moore expressed his frus
tration with the situation.
“I do not understand how
we could overlook such
an important qualifica
tion for a local business,”
he said. “We have to make
sure that this does not
happen again.”
Hall informed the
Council that the incident
occurred because of the
City’s lack of a Code En
forcement Officer. “Nor
mally, this would be the
work of a code officer. I
think it would be benefi
cial to create that position
when the budget comes
back up next year,” he
stated.
The Aman Quick Stop
was awarded an alcohol
license for the remainder
of the year, but this license
must be renewed in De
cember.
1-16 Billboard Funding
The council approved
a $2,650 contribution to
a billboard advertising
campaign sponsored by
the Greater Vidalia Cham
ber, the Toombs County
Development Authority,
the Vidalia Convention
& Visitors Bureau, the
Downtown Vidalia Asso
ciation, and Lyons Main
Street. The advertisement
highlights dining in the
area, while also informing
travelers of the exit num
bers on which the area
is located. The billboard
contribution will be made
using the City’s hotel/mo
tel tax.
Councilman Larry
Griggers opposed the con
tribution, noting, “It is the
City that is paying for this
billboard, not the Lyons
Main Street association—
but the Lyons Main Street
association is a partner
in the work, and the City
administration is not. Ba
sically, we’re paying for a
project we haven’t been a
part of.”
Hall explained the
partners’ logic behind the
funding proposal, stating
that the hotel/motel tax
was previously given to the
Main Street association
in prior years. “Daphne
(Walker) has been very in
strumental in the design
ing of this advertisement,”
he said of the Main Street
Director. “She has worked
as an arm of the city.”
The billboard is al
ready displayed alongside
Interstate 16 and will re
main posted until Septem
ber 2022.
Budget and Millage Rate
The Council approved
the FY22 budget and the
tentative FY22 millage
rate during the meeting.
This budget has increased
while the millage rate re
mains the same.
The overall budget for
the city is $5,377,070; this
budget has not seen much
change in the general fund
from last year, as the City
continues to be allotted
$4,801,820 for its general
fund.
However, the budget
has greatly changed in the
Water, Sewer, and Sani
tation Enterprise funds;
these funds have increased
because of the annual pay
ment for the renovation of
the North and East Waste-
water Treatment Plant,
which is $680,000, as well
as the construction of a
cross-town force main,
that was financed through
the Georgia Environmen
tal Finance Authority.
This increase in expenses
is funded through the user
fees for water and sewer
services, and overall in
creases the budget.
The proposed mill-
age rate for the city of Ly
ons in 2022 is 3.89 mills,
which is the same rate as
last year. Property values
have increased 11% ac
cording to the local di
gest, which states that the
net digest value in 2020
was $111,077,314 and in
creased to $120,895,763
in 2021. This increase
comes as real and personal
property values have in
creased by $12 million,
motor vehicles have in
creased in value by $2.5
million, mobile homes’
value have increased by
$100,000, and timber val
ues have increased by al
most $20,000.
Thus, with this mill-
age rate, there will be an
8.84% net tax increase,
totaling $38,194 more.
The total levied taxes
will shift from $432,091
to $470,285. The City of
Lyons reports that the in
crease in property taxes
will only be 2.91%.
In preparation of the
adoption of this millage
rate, three public hearings
will be conducted at Ly
ons City Hall: one hearing
on September 23 at noon,
one hearing on September
29 at noon, and one hear
ing on September 29 at 6
p.m. The millage rate will
be approved at a called
Please see Lyons page 3A
Help us save lives.
Please get vaccinated.
Memorial Health Meadows Hospital is operating a
public vaccination clinic. To schedule a time to get a
free vaccination, please call (912) 535-SAFE (7233).
J Memorial f leadows
C Health -Jospital
e m o ri a l H ea It h M ea d o ws. co
OUTDOORS
912-526-4090
751 South State St., Lyons, GA 30436
IT'S SO MUCH MOWER*
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