If you go to the Cobb Tax Commissioners web page http://www.cobbtax.org/ and click on “Search and Pay Taxes”, you will find everyone’s taxes. For instance, if you put in an address, like Senator Johnny Isakson’s, 5074 Hampton farms Drive (5074_Ham), you’ll see that in 2013
Fair Market Value $557,990
Assessed Value $223,196
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Property Address 5074 Hampton Farms Drive
Homestead Exemption 113 Basic, School
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His Taxes are
State tax $33.18
CountyGeneral $693.57
County Bond $73.65
County Fire $682.98
School $00.00
Total $1,483.40
If Senator Isakson paid Cobb School Taxes, it would be an additional $4,218. $223.196 (assessed value for tax purposes after Exemptions) X .0189 (millage rate) = $4,218.
The Cobb senior school tax exemption was put in place by Cobb politicians through the state legislature. To justify the exemption, I’m told, it was enacted to assist
poor little old widow women on fixed incomes. There aren’t too many counties in Georgia that have this exemption. Cobb must have more little old widow women and more charity in the hearts of our legislators.
This pauper’s exemption means that Johnny has come upon hard times. He’s probably too proud to go to his family or church to ask for help, that or they may have already turned him down. It doesn’t look right to have a Senator put a school teacher out of a job in order to keep a roof over his head. The man obviously needs charity and I’ll be the first to help. When I finish this article, I’ll print a copy, put it in an envelope with a dollar bill, and send it to the Senator. If everyone who voted for him will send a dollar, the Senator won’t have to worry about a bank foreclosure.
If you don’t know the Senator that well and want to keep your Republican charity closer to home, here are a few options of current and former elected officials who pay no school tax:
Rep Sharon Cooper 4028 River Ridge Chase $613,110
Fmr Rep Judy Manning 480 Davis Carnes LN $950,000
School Board David Banks 3626 Blakeford Club DR $392,520
Rep Don Parsons 3167 Sycamore LN $164,400
Fmr Rep Roger Hines 618 Spring Ridge Drive $167,120
Property values can be appealed and adjusted, changing the amount of taxes paid. People can change addresses. Please let me know if, when you review these numbers, you find a change. I’ll happily change it.
The school board keeps laying-off teachers, increasing class sizes, and refuses to buy text books. Earlier this year, the school board looked at an $85 million deficit. The total 2013 senior school tax exemption is about $65 million.
My Senator, Johnny Isakson, needs a roof over his head. He gets my dollar.
Sharon Cooper needs a roof over her new Mercedes. She will get a dollar too.
It is the responsibility of Cobb taxpayers to make sure that formerly affluent Republicans can maintain their former lifestyle even if it means the death of public schools in Cobb.
Rep. Cooper once said at a Commissioner Bob Ott Town Hall meeting that if Democrats ever get back in power that they would eliminate the Senior School Exemption. If the exemption is changed or eliminated, it will be from the greed and excess of Republicans like Rep. Cooper.
Would you like to make “Means Testing” a requirement for school exemptions?
“Means Testing” is already a requirement for poor families to get free lunches at public school for their kids.
How about making “Drug Testing” a requirement for rich old folks to apply for a big tax exemption?
“Drug Testing” has been proven time and again not to work when testing poor people. It is a waste of money but how can you say “No” when Republicans have been claiming that it works for years.
Let Johnny show his tax return, fill up a specimen cup, and Cobb will show how we help the truly needy.