www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-12 15:42:00
Georgia’s state revenue for April 2025 dropped by \$230.4 million, a 5.8% decrease compared to April 2024. The extension of the income tax filing deadline, which was moved from April 15 to May 1 due to Hurricane Helene, contributed to the decline. Corporate tax collections saw the largest drop, down 27.8%, while individual income taxes fell slightly by 2.8%. Other taxes, such as sales and use, motor fuel, and vehicle tag fees, increased. Year-to-date tax collections total \$27.7 billion, showing a \$312 million increase, although adjustments for the motor fuel excise tax make the underlying change a slight decrease of 0.6%.
(The Center Square) – The extension of the income tax deadline for Georgia taxpayers drove down state revenues for April, according to the latest numbers released by Gov. Brian Kemp’s office on Monday.
Net tax collections dropped by $230.4 million, a 5.8% decrease from April of last year. The state collected $3.73 billion in April 2025 compared to $3.96 billion in April of 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue.
The governor extended the income tax filing deadline from April 15 to May 1 to help businesses and individuals affected by Hurricane Helene, which swept through the state last September. The deadline was the same even for Georgians not affected by the hurricane.
Corporate tax collections took the most significant hit, down 27.8% when compared to fiscal year 2024. Individual income tax collections were only down slightly from $1.97 billion in FY2024 to $1.91 billion in FY2025, a 2.8% reduction.
Other tax collections were up in April with sales and use tax collections up 4.5%, motor fuel taxes increasing 3.4% and motor vehicle tag and title fees rising by 7.4%, according to the report.
Year-to-date tax collections are $27.7 billion, an increase of $312 million. A moratorium on motor fuel excise tax in fiscal year 2024 accounted for the higher numbers, according to the revenue department. Without the motor fuel tax changes, year-to-date collections are down 0.6%, a $154.2 million decrease.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article presents a straightforward, fact-based report on Georgia’s tax revenue figures following an extension of the income tax deadline due to a hurricane. It refrains from using loaded or emotive language, maintaining a neutral tone throughout. The piece simply conveys data and context provided by the governor’s office and the revenue department without advocating for any political viewpoint or policy stance. This adherence to factual reporting without promotion of ideological perspectives indicates a centrist and neutral approach.
www.youtube.com – FOX 5 Atlanta – 2025-05-12 13:24:34
SUMMARY: Feduma Muhammad, accused of killing 19-year-old Cooper Shanki in a high-speed police chase crash in Atlanta’s Little Five Points, was denied bond in a DeKalb County courtroom. Prosecutors presented dashcam footage showing Muhammad weaving through traffic while fleeing Georgia State Troopers, crashing into Shanki’s vehicle. Believed to be on drugs and already out on bond for other felonies, the judge deemed her a flight risk and a danger to the public. Shanki’s mother, Kate, urged the judge to keep Muhammad detained, expressing ongoing grief and commitment to attending all court hearings for justice.
The woman accused of killing a teen in Little Five Points while trying to flee from a Georgia state trooper will remain behind bars. Faduma Mohamed, 23, appeared in a DeKalb County courtroom on Monday morning as her attorney made a bid for her to be released on bond.
FOX 5 Atlanta delivers breaking news, live events, investigations, politics, entertainment, business news and local stories from metro Atlanta, north Georgia and across the nation.
www.wsav.com – Sarah Fortinsky – 2025-05-12 12:27:00
SUMMARY: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the U.S. is halting livestock imports at southern border ports due to the “New World screwworm” (NWS) spreading in Mexico, detected as far north as Oaxaca and Veracruz. Rollins emphasized the move prioritizes food and animal safety, not politics, and involves close collaboration with Mexican officials. The suspension will continue monthly until containment is confirmed, applying to livestock originating from or transported through Mexico. NWS was eradicated previously but re-emerged in Mexico in November 2024, leading to a border closure and later resumption with strict inspection protocols. The U.S. remains committed to cooperation for eradication.
On May 13, 2025, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear a case concerning whether the national right-leaning group True the Vote used mass voter challenges to intimidate minority voters in Georgia before the January 2021 runoff election. Plaintiffs, including Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action, argue that True the Vote’s tactics violated the Voting Rights Act by targeting Black, brown, and first-time voters. True the Vote counters that their efforts promote election integrity. The case highlights ongoing disputes over voting rights, voter intimidation claims, and election integrity debates following Georgia’s pivotal 2020 and 2021 elections.
A federal appellate court is set to hear a case Tuesday centered on a five-year debate over whether the national right-leaning group True the Vote used mass voter challenges to intimidate minority voters.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit will hear arguments in a case in which plaintiffs, including a voting rights group founded by Stacey Abrams, contend that the case has national implications. Attorneys from both sides will have 15 minutes to present their cases during Tuesday’s hearing.
Mass voter challenges have been a mainstay in Georgia since the 2020 presidential election, when Democrat Joe Biden narrowly defeated Republican Donald Trump by about 12,000 votes in the state.
According to the Abrams-founded Fair Fight Action and others who filed suit, True the Vote’s actions likely violated the Voting Rights Act by using inaccurate voter registration information and voter intimidation tactics such as posting citizen watchdogs to monitor people casting ballots.
This case stems from True the Vote’s efforts to challenge the voter eligibility of about 385,000 Georgia voters prior to the January 5, 2021 runoff election, when Democrats would take control of the U.S. Senate following historic wins by Georgia Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
In January 2024, Gainesville U.S. District Court Judge Steve C. Jones concluded last year that Fair Fight did not prove True the Vote’s actions constituted voter intimidation prior to the dual Senate runoffs.
However, Jones criticized the conservative group’s “reckless” methods in compiling a list of voters.
Opponents of mass challenges claim that groups targeting Democratic-leaning counties are misusing the election law to challenge large numbers of voters as ineligible.
Many conservatives have argued that voter registration lists need to be purged of ineligible voters, while Democrats and progressive activists have alleged that mass voter challenges aim to intimidate and remove voters who should remain eligible.
Fair Fight alleges that True the Vote’s list in the 2021 runoff included a disproportionate number of Black, brown, and first-time voters who helped secure the 2020 presidential race for Biden.
“The 385,000 mass challenge in the lead up to the January 5, 2021 runoff was the largest mass challenge ever filed in this way in the country,” Fair Fight CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo said.
There’s been a debate over whether some new voting rules would improve voter confidence or if they are just attempts to appease Trump supporters who say he lost because of unfounded claims of widespread election fraud.
Georgia was at the center of the push to overturn the election results after Trump lost to Biden, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to lose in Georgia in three decades. Trump’s narrow loss was reaffirmed through three counts, including one recount that was done by hand. Multiple recounts and audits after the 2020 election confirmed it was not tainted by widespread fraud.
According to state law, county election boards must find sufficient probable cause to move forward with an investigation when a voter does not appear to reside at their registered address, lists a non-residential address on their registration, or has other reasons that could disqualify them.
True the Vote founder Catherine Engelbrecht said her group will argue that their tactics promote fair elections when they return to Georgia court Tuesday.
“This isn’t just about one hearing — it’s about holding the line for election integrity and defending the voice of we the people,” she said in a statement. “Our legal team is locked in, sharpening every detail of our strategy. Our fight is to expose truth, uphold principle, and bring transparency to a process.”
Marc Elias, an attorney with Elias Law Firm and founder of left-leaning Democracy Docket, argues that the mass voter challenges in the True the Vote case are an egregious violation of Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, which guarantees that voters will not face intimidation during the voting process.
“Now, courts have been chipping away against lots of the federal voting rights protections. I’m not going to sugarcoat that,” Elias said. “That has been true at the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s been true at the lower levels. But the fact is attempts to intimidate voters is still illegal, and 11 B is still goo valid law throughout the country.”
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Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
The content provides a detailed examination of a legal case involving voter challenges, a key issue in recent American electoral debates. The article presents the perspective of both progressive groups (like Fair Fight Action) and conservative figures (such as True the Vote), offering a balanced narrative of the opposing views. However, the content highlights more the concerns of voter intimidation and racial disparities, framing these issues within the broader context of voting rights advocacy. This focus on defending minority voters and the criticism of conservative tactics suggest a mild lean towards Center-Left, emphasizing fairness and voter protection without fully adopting either side’s rhetoric.
