ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp has made a major tax announcement, one that he claims will put “money back in hardworking Georgians' pockets.”
On Tuesday, the governor announced that Georgia taxpayer rebates will be returning this year. The rebates will be between $250 and $500.
"That money belongs to hard-working Georgians," the governor added.
The rebates are modeled after previous surplus checks Kemp has announced in recent years.
"That rebate means helping pay the rent. It means paying down credit card debt. In total, this proposal will save Georgia taxpayers over $1 billion," he added.
So, how much are the surplus tax rebates?
- $250 to a single tax filer
- $375 to the head of a household
- $500 to married couples filing jointly.
According to the governor, the rebates were triggered by a $10.7 billion surplus. The state also had another $5.4 billion saved for emergency rainy-day fund spending.
The rebates are happening during a critical election, with Georgia at the forefront of the race. Candidates continue their frequent visits just weeks before the day to fight for the battleground state.
Though Kemp has used partisan language to blame Democrats for a sagging economy, Georgia’s revenues have exceeded the forecasts of the state’s economists—hence, the election-year rebates.
“We all know that even if inflation has ‘fallen,’ high prices haven’t. Families see that every day when they go to the grocery store or the gas pump,” Kemp said in prepared remarks. “But I want to make it clear: today’s announcement is not the end of our search for policies that will give relief, especially to those impacted by the recent hurricanes.”
It’s currently unclear when Peach State taxpayers will get those payments or how they will be issued, but the governor said that Georgians could be receiving them in the coming year.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story had the incorrect version of the amount of the surplus tax rebate for the head of household. It has since been corrected.