Morris News Service
ATLANTA --- Polish the pitchfork, fire up the torches and join the revolt preparing to storm the Bastille.
Voters already steamed about the recession, rising unemployment and corporate bailouts are growing angry about taxes, too.
News that one in 10 Georgia lawmakers is a repeat violator of tax laws has fueled a call for a rewrite of the state's tax code.
First, a series of President Obama's appointees revealed they hadn't paid their taxes, then the Georgia Department of Revenue distributed a list of outstanding taxes owed by 19 unnamed legislators.
Rep. Al Williams, D-Midway, is the only publicly known one among the 46 legislators whose districts are near Augusta, Athens, Savannah and Glynn County. That's because his legislative pay is garnished and the state has a lien on his house. The rest of the group, when surveyed, said they were current.
Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, announced March 3 that he wanted a change in Senate rules to punish legislators for not filing. His proposal was a rush job,taking advantage of a provision that requires action within 48 hours of any proposed rule change.
Senators, who said it was hastily drafted, defeated his proposal. But if they intended to teach Mr. Johnson a lesson, they got one themselves from voters by e-mail and phone.
So, on Tuesday, the Senate overwhelmingly passed another resolution by Mr. Johnson to create a tax reform commission. That didn't stop the complaining, so on Thursday, the Senate took his original idea and tacked it onto a bill to make it a matter of law that any legislator who didn't file tax returns would be subject to investigation by ethics committees.
A month earlier, Rep. Bob Smith, R-Watkinsville, introduced legislation calling for a constitutional convention to revise the state's tax system. Even the liberal-leaning Georgia Budget and Policy Institute agrees the idea has merit.
"It's coming," Mr. Smith said. "It's just a matter of time before people are so mad that they have a tea party."
