Media release from the Georgia Senate Press Office:
By: Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R–Rome)
Crossover Day is quickly approaching, and the Senate is working diligently to send strong, conservative solutions over to the House that deliver real results for you and your family.
It’s never been more important to let Georgians keep more of what they earn. When I became Finance Chair in 2017, the Georgia Income Tax rate stood at 6%. It had never been lowered since being implemented in 1929. I have been the Senate sponsor of bills to lower it several times to the current rate of 5.19% and it is scheduled to further reduce to 4.99% this year, retroactive to January 1, 2026.
Now we’re taking a bold next step.
As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, I was proud to help advance Senate Bill 476 by voting it out of the Finance Committee on Monday and then having the full Senate vote it out on Thursday and send it to the House of Representatives. This bill represents a historic shift in Georgia’s tax policy, prioritizing Georgians who make this state run. SB 476 eliminates the state income tax on the first $50,000 earned by individual taxpayers and the first $100,000 earned by married couples filing jointly. That means 64% of Georgia taxpayers would pay zero state income tax. For all other families, they would still pay no income taxes on their first $100,000 of income. For a family, this means that $5000 of your income stays in your pocket.
We are accomplishing this without any new tax increases on sales, property, or anything else. How are we doing this? We are eliminating several Corporate Welfare tax credits. The tax break given to data centers and for computer equipment alone is $1.5 billion. This means that every individual, family, and small business in Georgia is paying all their income taxes from January 1st through February 3rd just to fund this one corporate handout. And many others are being eliminated, as are many more that should be in the future. There are $30 billion in tax credits and exemptions in Georgia. I am not suggesting that all of them should be eliminated, but this first step of eliminating $3 billion in corporate tax credit handouts of your money will allow us to eliminate the income tax for $100,000 of your family’s money and keep it in your pocket. Having everyone pay their taxes means you pay less.
While some choose to focus on expanding government programs, we are focused on expanding opportunity. Georgia’s strong financial position allows us to return money to the people who earned it while still investing in core services and maintaining one of the nation’s strongest economies.
Education also remains one of our top priorities. Senate Bill 150 extends the program allowing retired teachers to return to the classroom, helping school systems hire experienced educators when they are needed most. Our students deserve stability and quality instruction, and this legislation will open a door for proven teachers to continue serving Georgia families.
Finally, I was pleased that my colleagues in the House passed Senate Bill 162, which I introduced last year. SB 162 accelerates the licensing process for health care providers through the Georgia Composite Medical Board, helping bring qualified medical professionals into the field more quickly where they are needed most. Streamlining this process is necessary to ensure Georgians have access to high-quality health care professionals for routine checkups, complex procedures and unpredictable emergencies. Access to streamlined, high-quality care increases the standard of living throughout Georgia communities and builds stronger families and a stronger workforce.
I also encourage students ages 12 to 18 to apply for the Senate Page Program. It is a great opportunity to serve at the Capitol and learn firsthand how state government works. More information is available at www.legis.ga.gov.
Your voice matters. Please continue reaching out with your thoughts, concerns and ideas. It is an honor to serve you, and I hope to see you under the gold dome this session.
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Sen. Chuck Hufstetler serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance. He represents the 52nd Senate District, which includes portions of Bartow, Floyd and Gordon counties. He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0034 or by email at Chuck.Hufstetler@senate.ga.gov.
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