Eric Johnson, the top Republican state senator, filed a bill that would create a constitutional amendment that would freeze the amount of property tax a homeowner pays at the time the property is acquired.
And House Speaker Glenn Richardson said Republicans in his chamber would announce legislation on Monday that would cap the amount home assessments can rise.
``As long as you own it, it will not increase more than 1 percent per year,'' Richardson said.
Richardson has been promoting a proposal that would wipe out property taxes entirely in Georgia and replace them with taxes on goods and services that are not currently taxed. The radical plan has faced heated opposition and he has scaled back the plan so that it would be phased in over time.
The first step would eliminate the school portion of property taxes for Georgia's 1.9 million homeowners. That lost revenue would be replaced by placing a tax on groceries, lottery tickets and services.
Richardson said the more gradual approach would get Georgians ``used to the idea of paying a consumption tax.''
Richardson's bill would also seek to rein in the growth of local government so that the cities and school districts could not grow faster than the rate of inflation and population unless residents approved it at the polls.
Johnson said his proposal is not new. He pushed the measure in 2003 and it sailed through the state Senate.
``As we debate tax reform, I believe the time is right to bring this initiative forward again, because local governments should not be allowed to tax people out of their homes.'' the Republican from Savannah said.
Georgia State Capitol - dor.georgia.gov
http://accesswdun.com/article/2007/12/204677