Georgia, Tax Reform and Outdated Tax Systems

I'm falling behind in some of my tax readings (!) so almost missed this appropriately titled op ed for this blog - from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "A 1930s tax code can’t cut it in 2010" by Alan Essig, 8/27/10. The author points out a few areas where the Georgia tax system has not kept up with changes in the economy and society since the 1930s, including the sales tax base. This is a similar problem in many states including California where the sales tax base assumes that consumption = tangible personal property, even though personal services, intangibles (such as digital downloads) and entertainment are significant consumption items.

Georgia recently set up a tax reform committee (see my 6/11/10 post and 1/8/10 post). Here is the committee's website. The committee's full name is the Special Council on Tax Fairness for Georgians. Sounds good. The website has links to background materials and date for upcoming meetings. The committee's report is due to the governor in January 2011.