Ga. lawmaker wants to look at sales tax

ATLANTA - A prominent Georgia Republican says it may be time to reconsider the state's sales tax structure.

State Sen. Jack Hill, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Thursday the Georgia's sluggish sales tax receipts suggest that the state's system does not reflect how residents spend their money. He said the timing is right for a commission to give it a look.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson last year suggested wiping out property taxes in Georgia in favor of a tax on goods and services which currently aren't taxed. But the controversial plan died.

Hill says sales tax collections aren't keeping track with rapid growth in the state. In the last fiscal year, they were down 2.3 percent from the year before.