These taxes add a tremendous burden onto the citizens of our county during a time when the economy is not doing well and every penny counts to these individuals. The State of Georgia currently has no tax on food sold in the state, however, all SPLOST taxes are added to every single item that is purchased within our county. This means that currently you are paying 3% of your total food cost every month in SPLOST taxes.
It's much easier than you might think!
Purchasing a New Home?
If one purchase a new home at $200,000, what is the sales tax on that home? Is it $0? No, the sales tax on a new home that cost $200,000 is at least $8,400 in Coweta County. How? The cost to build the home would be at least $150,000 and the owner of that home would have paid $50,000 for the lot that the home is built on. Take out $30,000 in contractor fees at 15% of the new home's final cost giving you $120,000 in building materials (if the homeowner already owned the lot the home is built on). All building materials purchased to build that house has sales tax paid on it. That is $1200 for every 1% in sales tax paid to build a new $120,000 house. We feel we are being very generous in our numbers here because typically speaking the contractor fees would be spread out across the entire purchase price of the land and the home itself - not just the cost of the home.
Purchasing a new car?
Statistics show that you will buy a new car twice during the next 6 years.
The average sales price for a new car is $29,793 according to the 2011 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Data Report. Sales tax in Coweta County is $2085.51 or $297.93 for every 1% in sales tax. The average used car in the U.S. Cost is $16,474 according to NADA, is climbing steadily. That equates to $1153.18 in sales tax or $164.74 per 1% of sales tax. The sales tax for purchases of new or used cars does not stay in the county in which you purchased the car, and the sales tax on that car will be taxed at the rate of the county in which you live.
The average American purchases a new car every 3 years according to NADA. That means over the life of the SPLOST, the average citizen in Coweta County is expected to purchase at least 2 cars during over the 6 year period in which SPLOST is enacted. At $297.93 per 1% of sales tax the average citizen will pay $595.86 in sales tax on SPLOST alone for a single new car purchase. If there are two people in the home and they each buy a new car during the 6 year period then their sales tax would reach $1191.72 over the course of 6 years just on car purchases.
Georgia Has the 4th Highest Gas Tax In The Country!
Gas is really $3.00 per gallon right now.
Really? How? Georgia's gas tax is only $.075 per gallon! Well, not exactly.
What does this have to do with SPLOST???
Georgia is only one of nine states to charge a sales tax in addition to an excise tax for gas, according to Ronald Alt, senior research associate with the Federation of Tax Administrators. Most states simply charge a single excise tax per gallon. That means for every gallon of gas that you purchase at the current cost of $3.68 per gallon, there is $.68 per gallon in taxes for every gallon purchased, but the bureaucrats at the local, state and federal level don't want you to know that. Here is the breakdown of taxes paid on a gallon of gas:
- 4% Georgia Sales Tax
- 1% ESPLOST Tax
- 1% SPLOST
- 1% HOST or LOST
- Federal Excise Tax on Gasoline - $.187 / gallon
- State Excise Tax on Gasoline - $.075 / gallon
and the numbers are even higher for diesel fuel.
Motor Fuel Tax is Georgia's
THIRD LARGEST SOURCE OF REVENUE
And it is all spent on Transportation - BUT OUR LOCAL County GOVERNMENT WANTS MORE! $80,000,000 to be exact!
SPLOST does not equal FairTax - SPLOST = Slush-Fund for Local Government
Official Statement On This Issue from Jim Duffie, State Director of 'Georgians for FairTax'
"The comparison is apples to oranges – the FairTax is a national program and is comprehensive in tax restructuring. The Splost – with whatever letter it begins with – is just an add-on sales tax, with no redeeming economic factors. The State of Georgia needs true tax reform – a state fairtax program – which would provide economic stimulus enough to supply funds for any infrastructure needs without having to play favorites or give exemptions. That’s what the *SPLOST proponents should be working toward, instead of this mishmash of pieced together, political gerrymandering, slush-fund! "
From our Friends at www.GASPLOST.org
Statistics
SPLOST initiatives are often sold to the public on the basis that some one else will pay for their projects because a large number of sales come from outside of the county. Those statistics are often greatly exaggerated. The following figures are derived the County Guide produced by the University of Georgia. For each county we show the retail pull factor as calculated by the County Guide along with the percentage of the county's sales derived from county residents and outsiders. Coweta County has as pull factor of less than one with 100% local sales and 0% sales to outsiders. In reality this means that the county residents buy more from outside of the county than outsiders buy within the county.
Additionally, the University of Georgia estimates that Coweta County Residents spend $474 in Sales Taxes for every 1% of Sales Tax
| Sales Pull Factor | Sales Pull from County Residents | Sales Pull from Residents of other Counties | |
| 0.61 | 100% | 0% | |
SPLOST initiatives are often sold to the public on the basis that it is just one penny, but those pennies add up. The typical family will pay several hundred dollars of tax over the course of a SPLOST. The accompanying table shows how much tax will be paid over the course of a SPLOST based upon monthly household spending. We provide this table to help voters make better informed decisions.
| If you spend per month | You will pay this much over | ||
| 1 Year | 2 Years | 5 Years | |
| $1,000 | $120 | $240 | $600 |
| $1,200 | $144 | $288 | $720 |
| $1,400 | $168 | $336 | $840 |
| $1,600 | $192 | $384 | $960 |
| $1,800 | $216 | $432 | $1,080 |
| $2,000 | $240 | $480 | $1,200 |
| $2,200 | $264 | $528 | $1,320 |
| $2,400 | $288 | $576 | $1,440 |
| $2,600 | $312 | $624 | $1,560 |
| $2,800 | $336 | $672 | $1,680 |
| $3,000 | $360 | $722 | $1,800 |
| $3,500 | $420 | $820 | $2,100 |
| $4,000 | $480 | $960 | $2,400 |
Why is SPLOST a Liberal Ideal?
SPLOST was enacted in 1985 under a Democrat Governor and passed by a Democrat State House and a Democrat Senate. Just like all taxes passed by liberals at the local, state and federal level, the tax becomes a necessity instead of 'Special' once enacted. Liberals tend to justify the tax by saying that our schools will fall apart, or our roads won't be drivable. We need more recreation facilities, we have to have more libraries, all the while wasting your hard earned money on unfunded mandates once these projects are completed. How are they unfunded? SPLOST only allows you to build facilities and do road maintenance, etc but you are not allowed to pay salaries out of SPLOST funds.
Final Thoughts
When the last SPLOST was passed in 2007, Coweta County Officials told us that we had to pass it or our property taxes would have to be raised. Shortly after Central Library was built - the Coweta County Commission raised our taxes because there was not enough money to pay for the salaries of the additional employees they had to hire. Why do we even begin to believe that they will not raise our taxes if we do pass SPLOST again? If they did it once before, they will do it again.
It is time for the Coweta County Government to give us a break and stop with the Tax and Spend ways of the past. Our growth has come to a halt, why are we continuing to spend money that our citizens do not have?
Please forward to your friends and family by clicking the 'Email to a Friend' button at the top of this page!
Vote 'NO' for Coweta County SPLOST And
Save Over $500 Per YEAR On Your Taxes!!!*
* Average Savings Per Household of 4
SPLOST does not equal Fairtax
Official Statement On This Issue from Jim Duffie, State Director of 'Georgians for FairTax'
"The comparison is apples to oranges – the FairTax is a national program and is comprehensive in tax restructuring. The Splost – with whatever letter it begins with – is just an add-on sales tax, with no redeeming economic factors. The State of Georgia needs true tax reform – a state fairtax program – which would provide economic stimulus enough to supply funds for any infrastructure needs without having to play favorites or give exemptions. That’s what the *SPLOST proponents should be working toward, instead of this mishmash of pieced together, political gerrymandering, slush-fund! "
