Tax Reform and our General Assembly

As a perpetual optimist, I keep expecting the people we vote for to adhere to the values and positions they take during the campaign once they get elected, and to do the right thing for us when they go to the legislature.

It seems I am perpetually disappointed.

The legislature's behavior, led by supposedly "conservative" legislators and our "conservative" governor have exhibited behavior that would embarrass Nancy Pelosi.  The "tax reform" bill, HB386, is a mishmash of items that have had insufficient study, and in the end will have unpredictable results.  It was posted, voted on and will be passed in three days. 

To quote the AJC "The pace was deliberate — legislators learned last year that introducing a tax overhaul measure earlier in the session is an invitation for opponents to pick it apart."

While I can comprehend the discomfort that opposition poses for our legislators, if they can't support and sustain the terms of the bill in the face of opposition, perhaps the terms aren't as good as they seem. That certainly doesn't seem like an excuse to short-circuit study and debate and cram something down this fast.  This bill has inadequate study, inadequate promotion to the public, and does irreparable harm to our trust in government.

See the bill here, the House vote here and the Senate vote here.

As with the TIA-TSPLOST bill, I say to our legislators: we can do better than this.