(The Center Square) – Georgia taxpayers qualifying for a tax rebate signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday should see the money in six to eight weeks, according to the state Department of Revenue.
The $1 billion tax cut will give $500 to married filers, $250 to single filers and $375 to those who file as head of household, according to the bill passed by the General Assembly earlier this month. Taxpayers must have filed in 2023 and 2024 and had a tax liability.
Kemp also signed a bill that would reduce the state’s flat tax to 5.19%, which would return $880 million to taxpayers, he said. The state is reducing the number by 0.1% until it reaches 4.99%.
“While other states are running up budget deficits and raising taxes on their citizens, we’re investing in the priorities of our state while further cutting taxes and returning more than a billion dollars to hardworking Georgians,” Kemp said. “That’s on top of the tax relief we’ve given in prior years and is a direct result of our conservative budgeting.”
Georgia’s neighbors to the north and south, Tennessee and Florida, do not tax income, which has prompted conversations about eliminating Georgia’s income tax.
Georgia makes about $16 billion annually from income taxes, Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery, R-Vidialla, said when presenting the budget during the last days of the 2025 session.
Taxing other items could eliminate the state sales tax, he said.
Taxing services, which Texas does, could bring in $12.2 billion, which could “almost eliminate the income tax overnight,” Tillery said. Texas does not have a state income tax.
Kim Jarrett | The Center Square
Kim Jarrett's career spans over 30 years with stops in radio, print and television. She has won awards from both the Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.
