Avert Budget Cuts, Raise New Revenue
Your lawmaker needs to hear from you to protect education, health care and other programs and services and look to new revenue instead of deep cuts.
With mandated budget cuts across all agencies, we’re seeing proposals to cut the number of days our youngest learners will be in the classroom, lay off and furlough state employees, many of whom are people of color, and decimate previous criminal justice reform efforts such as accountability courts and mental health supports for the incarcerated. These cuts will disproportionately exacerbate health and economic disparities for Black and Brown Georgians.
Georgia lawmakers have options to raise revenue instead of simply cutting services. Some of these options include lifting the tobacco tax to the national average, closing special interest tax breaks and removing Georgia's "double deduction"--a loophole that is only available to a fraction of Georgia filers who earn an average of $240,000 a year. These solutions would allow Georgia to prioritize long-term recovery with investments in health, education, the safety net and other key programs and services.
Georgia families need your help. Write your legislator today to let them know that they have commonsense options to prevent the acceleration of a massive economic downturn, severely underfunding schools and negatively affecting the lives of millions of Georgians in every community across the state.