Human Behavior

There is definitely no logic to human behavior.

Is Georgia getting its money’s worth from tax breaks?

Fiscal analyst Alan Essig calls for some accountability from corporations that get tax breaks from the General Assembly . . .

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Tags: Alan Essig , Georgia Budget & Policy Institute , job creation , tax breaks

Will there be major tax changes next year?

It does not appear likely that the General Assembly will enact major tax law revisions in 2012 given that there are some differences of opinion among the House and Senate leadership . . .

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Tags: Bill Heath , Larry O\'Neal , sales tax on groceries , state income tax , state sales tax , tax revision , Tommie Williams

The contradictions at EPD

While there's a new director at the state's Environmental Protection Division, there won't be much if any change in the way the agency operates . . .

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Tags: air quality permits , Allen Barnes , coal-fired power plants , EPD , Jud Turner , Plant Washington , Ronit Walker , Sonny Perdue

Immigration control has its hidden costs

How do you add up all the costs of state immigration laws? Here's one tally . . .

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Tags: alabama , economic impact , Georgia , immigration law

Politicians accept favors because the voters let them

Why is everyone getting so exercised about Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle accepting a junket from a bunch of lobbyists? It's not like this doesn't happen every year with dozens of legislators . . .

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Tags: campaign contributions , Casey Cagle , CTCA , David Ralston , freebies , Glenn Richardson , junkets , lobbyists , Tommie Williams

This form of gambling is always popular with lawmakers

Look for legislators to open up the state's public pension funds to invest in venture capital funds and other areas that are now prohibited; retired teachers and state employees may want to pay attention to this . . .

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Tags: alternative investments , Earl Ehrhart , Enron , ERS , Harry Geisinger , Nathan Deal , pension funds , TRS , venture capital

Here’s a PSC filing that’s fun to read

A sharp-tongued energy consultant whomps the Public Service Commission upside the head with a verbal two-by-four in his comments criticizing the PSC decision to give money to Atlanta Gas Light for a network of compressed natural gas fueling stations . . .

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Tags: AGL Resources , CNG fueling stations , Jim Clarkson , PSC , universal service fund

They were for it, before they were against it

Several Georgia congressmen voted this week to repeal a tax law and bragged about killing a regulatory requirement that was "onerous" and a "burden" on small businesses; they neglected to say that they voted, twice, to pass that same tax law. . .

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Tags: Eric Cantor , Jeb Hensarling , John Barrow , John Lewis , Lynn Westmoreland , Phil Gingrey , tax withholding requirement , Tom Price , U.S. House

If you like paying higher taxes, Herman’s your man

One of the supreme ironies of this election cycle is that anti-tax tea partiers are wowed by a candidate who wants to raise their taxes . . .

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Tags: 9-9-9 , electrified border fence , electrocute undocumented immigrants , Herman Cain , higher taxes , Tea Party

Looking for climate information? It’s not there

For all practical purposes, it appears that Gov. Nathan Deal has effectively eliminated the job of state climatologist . . .

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Tags: Billl Murphey , David Stooksbury , Nathan Deal , state climatologist , The Red & Black , university of georgia
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