Property tax relief: Georgia lawmakers hit gridlock over GOP plan

Georgia lawmakers clash over property taxes

Georgia lawmakers are locked in a major legislative impasse over a sweeping property tax relief plan.

ATLANTA - A fierce legislative impasse over property tax relief has set up a massive political battle for November after state Democrats blocked a sweeping Republican tax package during the special session. 

Georgia legislative gridlock

What we know:

Republican lawmakers introduced dozens of bills during the special session aimed at allowing residents to vote on implementing a local penny sales tax. The plan designed the new tax to reduce or completely eliminate property tax bills on primary homes. However, the legislation required a two-thirds majority vote to pass, which fell short because the majority of House and Senate Democrats opposed the measures. 

Republicans claim they are fighting to protect homeowners and the American dream from being dismantled vote by vote. They accuse their counterparts of playing politics with the wallets of residents who are struggling to figure out how to pay their daily bills. 

Regressive tax debate

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet confirmed how individual districts will react to the fallout or if any compromise bills will emerge before the general election.

Democrats counter that a penny sales tax is a regressive system that forces lower-income families to pay more for daily essentials so that property owners can pay less. They argue that everyday shoppers notice the extra penny on their grocery and gas bills every single day, while some lower-income residents are not homeowners and never receive a property tax bill at all.