The Fiscal Research Center recently published an analysis detailing the major state and local revenue sources from 1998-2015, entitled “Financing Georgia’s Future IV.”
Authored by Sally Wallace and Rahul Pathak, the report provides a comprehensive overview of trends in Georgia’s state and local finances over the past 18 years, highlighting changing fiscal patterns during the past two national recessions.
In addition to providing trends, the guide also serves as a foundation for discussion on government finance in the state.
Trends in state and local finances (total) include:
- Georgia’s own-source total revenue (per capita) in 2015 increased by 1.2 percentage points compared to its level in 1998, but declined by 8.8 percentage points relative to personal income.
- Total taxes decreased per capita and relative to personal income (by 0.5% and 9.5%, respectively).
- Sales tax decreased by 10.7% on a per capita basis and 18.9% as a percentage of personal income.
- Total charges by state and local governments increased per capita and relative to personal income (by 18.7% and 7.4%, respectively).