Glenn Richardson, in address to Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, said those who are against his push to end property taxes are liars and biased.

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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/26/07

State House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) pitched his plan to wipe out all property taxes to an audience filled with holders of the purse strings he'd like to cut.

And he did so unapologetically.

Richardson belittled his critics. He said an independent study that gave a thumbs down to his proposal was biased. He suggested the leader of the Georgia Municipal Association was "a liar."

Many audience members were Gwinnett County officials, school board representatives and City Council members from across the county.

Richardson proposes that all of the property taxes collected by local governments and school boards in Georgia be eliminated. To replace the estimated $9 billion in revenue the state would lose every year, Richardson proposed expanding the state's 4-percent sales tax to all the goods and services that are currently exempt, including food and medicine.

An analysis released two weeks ago by Georgia State University's Fiscal Research Center concluded that, if adopted, Richardson's plan would fall at least $2 billion shy of covering the loss of property tax revenue.

The proposal appears to be popular. A survey released last month by the online political newsletter and polling firm Insider Advantage found that Georgia voters support Richardson's plan but not in overwhelming numbers.

Meanwhile, a variety of interest groups representing public schools, local governments and retirees, among others, have repeatedly hammered Richardson's plan. Many argue that if adopted, the plan would give to the state almost all of the power local governments now have to raise their own revenue.

Others say Richardson's proposal to tax the sales of food, medicine and other goods and services would punish the poor and elderly living on fixed incomes.

During a question-and-answer session, Richardson blasted Jim Higdon, the executive director of the Georgia Municipal Association for a letter Higdon released Thursday.

"I read the GMA letter by Jim Higdon today that is a lie. It says that I'm saying things that I didn't say. And he's a liar if he signed that," Richardson said.

It wasn't clear what the House speaker was referring to. But in an opinion piece released to the media Thursday, Higdon wrote: "Richardson says the plan is a work in progress. . . . Seven months later —- and many promises later —- it's time for the speaker to show his math, reveal his formula and explain to taxpayers how they will continue to have a voice in local government when the revenues move to Atlanta to be divvied up in the back halls of the state Capitol."

Higdon could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

But GMA spokeswoman Amy Henderson said, "It's been our experience throughout this process that the speaker doesn't like us questioning his plan."

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