TN, GA papers offer Better South op-eds

On Aug. 23, the Athens (GA) Banner-Herald published an op-ed by Center for a Better South President Andy Brack that called for progressive tax reform across the region. A similar piece ran Aug. 17 in The (Memphis, TN) Commercial Appeal.

From the Athens paper:

Modernizing state tax codes can make them fairer and more representative of today's complex and rapidly changing economy. In June, state Rep. Larry O'Neal, the Warner Robins Republican who chairs the state Ways and Means Committee, acknowledged in the Augusta Chronicle that taking a look at some of the book's ideas, such as reducing sales tax exemptions for special interests or modernizing income brackets that have been untouched since 1937, could make taxes fairer for many Georgians.

If we want to maintain our republican system of democratic government, and if we want to ensure all Southerners can pursue the freedoms they're guaranteed, we have to ensure government's framework is strong enough to make those things happen. Taking a long look at how we raise revenues and trying to make those ways fairer will make the South stronger. The time is now.

From the Memphis paper:

Tennessee is notable for modernization efforts that require consumers to pay sales taxes on 67 services, 10 more than the national average, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Taxing services shows the state recognizes the shift from the goods to service economy.

But more reforms need to be made. As one of only two states in the South without a broad-based personal income tax, Tennessee relies too heavily on sales taxes, which are regressive. In other words, when sales taxes are high, lower-income people pay a larger share of their incomes in these taxes than others. In Tennessee, a small income tax would increase the tax system's progressivity and make taxes fairer to all. In turn, the state could lower the sales tax rate, which again would boost tax fairness.

• Get the Doing Better book on progressive tax reform.