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Campbell warns SB 33 could shift costs from property tax to higher sales taxes
Summary
Rep. Lisa Campbell said Senate Bill 33, passed quickly, would remove traditional property-tax revenue and push localities toward new sales taxes or referendums, potentially raising consumption taxes and affecting renters and seniors in Cobb County.
Representative Lisa Campbell described SB 33 as a rushed measure that would reduce property-tax funding—historically used for schools, fire, police and infrastructure—and move financing toward new local sales taxes or ballot referendums. “Property taxes have been the primary mechanism that we fund our cities and our public schools,” she said.
Campbell argued the bill was ‘‘doublespeak’’ and “disingenuous,” saying the likely result is higher sales taxes paid by everyone, including seniors and renters. Messer asked about local effects in Cobb County; Campbell said it could mean a 9% or 10% figure referenced in the interview as the practical result of added sales tax burden for residents. She also noted constitutional concerns, saying tax legislation must originate in the House and that SB 33 began in the Senate, which she characterized as potentially unconstitutional.
