Wednesday, the General Assembly met in Atlanta for their third day of the 2018 session. One of the issues local legislators are discussing this year is a new sales tax called an OLOST in Bibb County.
“There's concern that we are overburdening our citizens with overtaxation,” says State Representative Allen Peake.
Peake says a new sales tax can sound like a lot for taxpayers, especially since the millage rate went up in April.
“But if there is a significant rollback on property taxes so that homeowners are saving a significant amount of money, that, to me, would give some credence and maybe there's some value of adding that extra penny of tax,” says Peake.
Peake says the rollback is just one of several details he wants to know more about.
“I want to see the final version of the bill, but at this point, I’m leaning toward yes. I’d let the people decide. Let’s put it in referendum and let the citizens decide this decision,” says Peake.
State Senator David Lucas is also waiting to see the bill before he decides on the OLOST bill, but he says there are other ways the county could raise more money.
“The land bank is part of the problem. The county [is] not receiving revenues of properties that have been out there for 7 to 10 years,” says Lucas.
Lucas says no taxes are being paid on blighted properties. He says that is a huge loss of revenue for the county.
If approved at the capitol, voters would have to approve it in November.
The sales tax is currently 7 cents in Bibb County.