Georgia Taxes? (Carl: car rental, sales, rentals)

[Carl305]

I have a question.What does the Georgia State do with all the money collected in taxes?I use to live in South Florida for 5 years.I did not pay state taxes down there,but I have come to realize now that even when we did not pay taxes down there, we had good visible traffic signs in most freeways(Not the case here in Georgia),most of freeways and regular streets were well lit at night(Not the case here in Georgia),Roads were wider than here.Can somebody tell me where does all that money goes?Because even if you try to visit a state park in here,you will be charge for that.Thank You

[MrTudo]

Originally Posted by Carl305

I have a question.What does the Georgia State do with all the money collected in taxes?

They steal it and spend it on whatever they want to spend it on.

Just like politicians everywhere. Thieves, liars, cheats and murderers.

The difference in Fla and Ga is Fla's politicians don't steal as much. Yet.

[bgnzsavnh]

Florida State has Sales taxes

[Carl305]

Well bgnzsavnh,I cantell you that here in Ga we have sale taxes as well as in FL (6%),but as I said before you can not see where all money goes.

[NYLATINQT]

I have to admit, GA is more country than Florida. I agree about the lack of lighting in the streets, etc...But GA does put alot of money into the schools, whereas Florida schools could use some more funding. Here in GA, if your child has a B average in high school, he can basically go to college for free thru the HOPE scholarship as long as he maintains the B average while in college. I think it only applies to the GA state colleges. I think that's a good trade off for having to pay state taxes. I think it's a gift that in Florida you don't pay state tax but Florida gets alot of their money from taxing the hell out of tourists. They nickel & dime them on car rentals, hotel rentals, etc...Not sure how true that is though.

[BYEMIAMI]

Yes, Florida does tax tourists hard, but guess what, the natives get taxed as well when we go to the same areas, eat at the restaurants in the tourist areas, rent a car, stay at a hotel (on the beach). The worst though is the homeowners insurance and property taxes. When a state all of a sudden has a billion dollar surplus due to property taxes, you know something is wrong.

[GATX]

I lived in Texas for several years prior to relocating to GA a few years ago. When I moved to GA my daughter was WELL ahead of her class in GA. She has since found little challenge in school. I have to challenge her at home to encourage her to maintain an interest in her education.

The state of Texas does NOT assess state employment tax. The state of Texas DOES incur taxes on NON-grocery items, but does NOT incur taxes on "grocery" items. It is appalling to me that the state of Georgia has a less advanced educational system and yet claims to utilize state taxes obtained from grocery and state income taxes for educational expenses.

I'm not certain how tax funds are being utilized in the state of GA, but would be interested in comparing the difference of funds utilization between the two states. While I, as a parent, take a personal interest in my child's education, I am also concerned about the educational system nationwide. If anyone has a link that can tell me how our tax money is being used in the state of GA, I would be greatly appreciative.

[pancho]

I can't offer much of an explanation for the state's budget, but I do think that Georgia's taxes are lower than most other states. Texas might not have an income tax, but the Texas sales tax rate is the fourth-highest in the nation; Georgia is ranked at 48. Florida's tax on gasoline is double what we pay in Georgia. From what I can tell, all three states aren't as bad as some and aren't as good as others when it comes to taxes.

[LunaMoth]

Here's the 2007-2008 budget for the State of Georgia. Very interesting reading:

http://www.opb.state.ga.us/Budget/AFY07_FY08BIB_Complete.pdf (broken link)

[Babeejulss]

For all of the FL residents who moved to GA. Would you say that overall the taxes are cheaper in GA or do they even out?