Did you know you can redirect your state tax liability to fund a scholarship for a student to attend a private school?
Fifteen years ago, Georgia lawmakers adopted the Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit, more commonly known as the state’s tax credit scholarship. Through this program, businesses and individuals make donations to a qualified student scholarship organization (SSO), and they receive a 100% credit against their taxes. Students can then receive scholarships to attend a private school.
The total tax credit cap is $120 million, which was raised from $100 million a couple of years ago. That has resulted in thousands more students receiving a scholarship as the number of students participating grew to 21,849 in 2023.
While those numbers are a fraction of the students in Georgia, it’s not because of a lack of interest. The program is wildly popular. Every year, the cap is met within a few days. But besides the limitations from the cap, there are many who simply don’t know about it.
How does the tax credit scholarship work, and what is the timeline for making donations? We talk about that and how the program saves the state money in this week’s commentary. We also have the latest news and analysis from the last week, including:
- Frivolous lawsuits hamper Georgia’s trucking industry
- Georgia to receive more than $60 million in railroad funding
- Agents who broker office space are feeling optimistic about Atlanta
- The most popular Halloween candy in Georgia is…
Have a great weekend,
– Kyle Wingfield
Friday’s Freshest
Here’s how frivolous lawsuits against truckers hurt everybody, including you
Georgians who work in the trucking industry tell one story after another about the legal system forcing them to settle with other parties. The terms and conditions, business owners say, are outrageous. Trucking company owners say they settle under a rigged system that consistently tilts in favor of plaintiffs…no matter how frivolous the plaintiff’s claims. As a consequence, the costs to do business rise.
Georgia has the opportunity for big-ticket tax reform
When fiscal 2024 ended back on June 30, Georgia had more money in the bank than ever before. A recent report by the State Accounting Office showed the official rainy-day fund grew to almost $5.5 billion, lottery reserves surpassed $2.4 billion, and the undesignated surplus reached an incredible $11 billion. That prudence presents the opportunity for a big-ticket tax reform.
Protect our kids without government overreach
Several states have proposed measures to protect kids from harmful online content. While well-intentioned in their aims, some of these bills threaten individual liberty and parental rights. The same issues exist at the federal level as well, with the Kids Online Safety Act currently being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Lowering the stakes of presidential elections
Polling data reinforces that our nation is evenly divided along partisan lines. No one should be surprised at either candidate winning, but people on each side will be devastated if their favored candidate loses. If something you consider devastating has even odds of happening, why risk more on that outcome? Yet, for decades Americans have heightened the stakes of presidential elections by giving Washington more power.
How do we get physicians and providers in underserved areas?
Georgia, which has roughly 28,000 physicians currently practicing, is projected to need over 8,000 more physicians – including almost 2,100 primary care physicians alone – by 2030 just to maintain its current physician-to-patient ratio, which is already 23% worse than the national average. Since it takes years to educate and train a physician, what steps can policymakers take to try and address this physician shortage?
The Latest
Economy
Why people who broker office space are feeling more optimistic about Atlanta
“The office is dead” quickly became a cliche phrase after the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in the ability to work from home for scores of white-collar workers. Now, nearly five years after the viral outbreak, real estate analysts and brokers say the modern office doesn’t just have a pulse — its heart rate is accelerating.
Committee: Growth putting a strain on Georgia’s agriculture business
The Georgia Agribusiness Council recently said the state lost 544,000 acres of land from 2001 to 2016. The majority of it, 371,000 acres, was for low-density residential development. Another 173,000 acres were lost to urban development. If that acreage were still in production, it would be $443 million of agriculture production, according to the trust.
Education
German homeschooling refugees can stay in U.S. for another year
German homeschoolers either operate under the radar or seek refuge in countries with more education freedom. While plenty of Germans have run afoul of the country’s ban on DIY schooling, the Romeikes may be most familiar to Americans. Last week, the family won permission to remain in the U.S. for another year as they raise their children by their beliefs.
What the birth dearth means for public schools
Today, between declining birth rates, fiscal chaos and competition from charter and private schools, public education bears little resemblance to what it was before the pandemic. These challenges will deepen in the coming years, and widespread school closures and staff reductions are likely.
Government accountability
Georgia DDS adds Samsung Wallet to digital driver’s license, ID program
Officials with the Georgia Department of Driver Services have announced a new expansion to the digital driver’s license and ID program. Samsung Wallet users will now be able to add their ID to their digital wallet on their phones for convenience. According to a news release, the latest change is valid for only a few TSA PreCheck security checkpoints, including those at the Atlanta airport.
Georgia woman gets 12-year prison sentence for $30M COVID-19 scheme
A Georgia woman will serve 12 years in prison for her role in what prosecutors called one of the largest COVID-19 fraud schemes prosecuted. Tyshion Nautese Hicks, 32, of Vienna, conspired with others to file more than 5,000 fraudulent COVID-19 unemployment claims, according to the Department of Justice. The stolen benefits totaled at least $30 million.
Transportation
Georgia to receive $65 million in railroad funding
Georgia will receive $65 million for three rail improvement projects as part of $2.4 billion in national grant funding. More than $26.5 million of the funds will be invested in the Georgia Port Authority’s Colonel’s Island Rail Improvements Project, while $30 million of funding will go toward the Comprehensive Overhaul for Higher Operational Reliability in Transportation and Safety.
Augusta airport makes major announcement about new Delta flights
Mainline Delta Air Lines service is resuming at Augusta Regional Airport with bigger planes. Delta has changed several morning flights to Boeing 717s, which fit more passengers and provide larger seating in first-class and comfort class. Previously, Delta used CRJ900s operated by Minneapolis-based Endeavor Air, which could hold only 76 passengers.
Bonus
Most popular Halloween candy in 2024
Every year, people debate which spooky treat is the best Halloween candy. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the most popular Halloween candy in Georgia, as they are in virtually every state in the country. But what is the most uniquely popular candy in the Peach State? Nerds.
Cracker Barrel sales are surging for reasons you’d never guess
Gen-Z is falling in love with Cracker Barrel, but not because of the Sunrise Sampler. The recent college grads have brought all their hopes, dreams and aspirations to the finest establishment in the country, not for the food, but for … the clothes. Old, vintage sweaters and crewnecks that your mom, who is probably a grandma now, wore back in the 80s and 90s are now all the rage for the youngins’ today.
Feds admit fossil fuels are still the cheapest
The Department of Energy’s report tells an inconvenient truth that many governments, including the Biden administration, want to ignore: Fossil fuels are cheap, abundant, and critical to meeting the world’s energy needs. Restricting access to these sources will increase costs for consumers, stifle global economic development, and do little to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Quotes of Note
“On Halloween you get to become anything that you want to be.” – Ava Dellaira
“The World Series, though, is a call of a different sort. For a fortunate few, it is not just an opportunity to win some bling but to become an October legend. And after swatting one of the most dramatic dingers in Fall Classic history and then piling on in an epic personal performance, Frederick Charles Freeman has become exactly that.” – Anthony Castrovince, MLB.com
“There is never a bad time to pull out Christmas decorations or set up your Christmas tree.” – Jami Warner, American Christmas Tree Association