www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-15 11:38:00
(The Center Square) – Georgia taxpayers qualifying for a tax rebate signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday should see the money in six to eight weeks, according to the state Department of Revenue.
The $1 billion tax cut will give $500 to married filers, $250 to single filers and $375 to those who file as head of household, according to the bill passed by the General Assembly earlier this month. Taxpayers must have filed in 2023 and 2024 and had a tax liability.
Kemp also signed a bill that would reduce the state’s flat tax to 5.19%, which would return $880 million to taxpayers, he said. The state is reducing the number by 0.1% until it reaches 4.99%.
“While other states are running up budget deficits and raising taxes on their citizens, we’re investing in the priorities of our state while further cutting taxes and returning more than a billion dollars to hardworking Georgians,” Kemp said. “That’s on top of the tax relief we’ve given in prior years and is a direct result of our conservative budgeting.”
Georgia’s neighbors to the north and south, Tennessee and Florida, do not tax income, which has prompted conversations about eliminating Georgia’s income tax.
Georgia makes about $16 billion annually from income taxes, Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery, R-Vidialla, said when presenting the budget during the last days of the 2025 session.
Taxing other items could eliminate the state sales tax, he said.
Taxing services, which Texas does, could bring in $12.2 billion, which could “almost eliminate the income tax overnight,” Tillery said. Texas does not have a state income tax.
www.youtube.com – FOX 5 Atlanta – 2025-07-15 12:11:44
SUMMARY: Atlanta police have released 911 calls after a break-in involving Grammy-winning singer Beyoncé’s team. Thieves broke into a rented Jeep parked at Krog Street Market last Tuesday, stealing several items, including hard drives containing unreleased, watermarked music and footage plans for Beyoncé’s upcoming Cowboy Carter tour. The break-in occurred days before her four-show run in Atlanta. Beyoncé’s choreographer and a dancer reported the theft, noting the stolen computers had tracking enabled via the Find My app. Police reviewed security footage, took fingerprints, and issued a warrant for a suspect. Authorities remind the public to remove valuables from cars to prevent such crimes.
Atlanta police are investigating after unreleased Beyoncé music was stolen from a rental vehicle at Krog Street Market. The rental vehicle was being used by a choreographer for the Grammy Award-winning singer, who performed 4 shows in Atlanta over the weekend. Police have released the 911 call associated with the theft.
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.
SUMMARY: Danone U.S. is voluntarily recalling over a dozen varieties of YoCrunch yogurt due to the potential presence of sharp, transparent plastic pieces in the dome toppers containing toppings, posing choking hazards. The recall, announced by the FDA, affects all flavors and sizes sold nationwide, but only the separate topping compartments are impacted—not the yogurt itself. Plastic fragments range from 7 to 25 mm. Retailers are removing affected products, which cover various flavors and expiration dates through September 2025. Consumers are advised not to consume these products and can contact YoCrunch Consumer Care at 1-877-344-4886 for refunds.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, alongside the Democratic Party, is calling for the return of political contributions made by First Liberty Building and Loan, a Newnan-based lender accused of a $140 million Ponzi scheme. Founder Brant Frost IV funneled over $5 million to himself and his family, including $570,000 in political donations to Republican candidates such as Gov. Brian Kemp and others. The Frost family has deep GOP ties, with past leadership roles in the party. Raffensperger urges recipients to return the donations, emphasizing that ill-gotten gains do not belong in government, as investigations continue.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has joined a growing chorus of voices calling for the return of political contributions from the now-defunct First Liberty Building and Loan, a Newnan-based lending firm with longstanding ties to the Republican Party.
The company has come under fire after federal officials filed a lawsuit accusing First Liberty’s founder, Brant Frost IV, of running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded 300 investors out of at least $140 million. According to the complaint, Frost misled investors about the nature of his business while funneling over $5 million to himself and his family members. He also improperly used investor funds to make more than $570,000 in political contributions, the complaint alleged, all of which went to Republican candidates and committees.
“I take full responsibility for my actions and am resolved to spend the rest of my life trying to repay as much as I can to the many people I misled and let down,” Frost said in a statement issued through his lawyer. “I will be cooperating with the receiver and federal authorities and ask that everyone allow the receiver time to sort things out and do his best to repair the damage I created.”
The allegations have shocked Georgia’s Republican political network, of which the Frost family has long been a part. In 1988, Frost served as Georgia state director for Pat Robertson, a conservative televangelist-turned-Republican presidential candidate. His son, Brant Frost V, worked as a principal at First Liberty and also served as a former vice-chair of the Georgia GOP. His daughter, Katie Frost, chairs a regional committee for the state party. Until last month, both siblings held leadership roles in the Georgia Republican Assembly, a far-right wing of the Georgia Republican Party.
Past recipients of Frost’s political contributions include Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp — who last received a donation from Frost in 2019 — as well as state Sen. Colton Moore and state Rep. Charlice Byrd, according to data from the Georgia State Ethics Commission. Other out-of-state candidates who have received major contributions from Frost include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado.
Brad Raffensperger. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Raffensperger, whose office is investigating First Liberty alongside the Securities and Exchange Commission, urged recipients to return political contributions they have received from the company or from the Frost family.
“Now is the time for every elected official, candidate, or political action committee who received financial support from this entity currently under investigation to stand up and help the victims,” Raffensperger said. “Ill-gotten gains do not belong in the State Capitol.”
The Democratic Party of Georgia has also urged Republican officials to return the funds.
“We have just learned that numerous Republican elected representatives are funded by money defrauded from unsuspecting Georgians,” said DPG Chair Charlie Bailey. “Now the question is whether Brian Kemp, the Georgia Republican Party, and all the electeds who received this money will do the right thing and return it to the hardworking Georgians from whom it was stolen.”
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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 Jill Nolin 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
This article primarily reports on a political corruption scandal involving a Republican-linked lending firm accused of fraud. While it focuses on facts and statements from officials across the political spectrum, the framing emphasizes Republican connections and criticism from Democratic voices. The language subtly highlights accountability concerns directed at Republicans and references far-right affiliations, which suggests a mild left-leaning perspective. However, it maintains a generally factual tone without overt editorializing, placing it slightly left of center rather than strongly partisan.
