The Georgia General Assembly begins next Monday, and even before the gavel drops on the upcoming session, one Georgia Senator and Toombs County native has been busy whittling down his pencil for months to help the entire citizenry of the state keep money in their pockets.

Senator Blake Tillery has chaired a committee for several months to devise a plan to eliminate state income taxes for a substantial portion of Georgians and the last meeting was held Tuesday in Atlanta.

“We’ve been working on this for months with the help of my Senate colleagues and the Lt. Governor, and I think we have a plan that has a chance to really benefit Georgians,” Sen. Tillery said. “If we just curb back corporate credits by just 10 percent, we found that we’ll be able to eliminate the state income tax on 64 percent of Georgians and give ALL Georgians a state income tax break.”

Sen. Tillery says that will mean a significant amount of help for those who are currently paying into the state tills.

“That means if you’re making $100,000 or less a year filing jointly, that family will see no income tax,” he said. “If you’re a single filer, it’s $50,000 with no tax liability. If you’re making more than that, you’re going to receive a substantial income tax break. We estimate that will be over $5,000.”

Sen. Tillery has been passionate about this effort and said, “This is real help to real Georgia families in a time when they’re feeling the crunch from gas, groceries, the power bill, and childcare. We want to help them, and think this plan offers that.”

The Special Committee on Eliminating Georgia Income Tax was created by lt. Gov. Burt Jones pursuant to Senate rule. The committee is made up of bipartisan political figures who collaborate with experts, parents, cities, businessowners, and policymakers to reform Georgia’s tax code while maintaining a strong financial base for the state.