Report says tax exemptions cost Georgians

Church bells, stud bulls, pinball, sod grass, shrimper bait and Bibles are among the many items exempt from Georgia's state sales tax, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A new Georgia State University report says if the tax exemptions were removed, the state could cut its tax from 4 cents to 1.33 cents.

Hmmm. Sounds like an argument made earlier this year in a book by the Center for a Better South. More: Doing Better: Progressive Tax Reform for the American South.

Released Wednesday, the new Georgia report says sales tax exemptions save Georgians and businesses almost $10 billion a year but make the tax system less fair by selectively doling out tax breaks. And the breaks cost state government coffers $10 billion, a considerable sum compared to the state's $18.6 billion annual budget.