Rep. Buddy Carter’s Tax Reform Tour

Congressman Buddy Carter conducted a tax reform tour last week with constituents across the 1st District of Georgia to discuss the benefits of federal tax reform, which was recently passed in Congress and signed into law. He had 15 events across the district with high school students, college students, small businesses, large businesses, chambers, and more.

When we spoke to the Congressman late Friday afternoon he had just finished a meeting with senior citizens in Savannah and earlier in the day had visited equipment dealer JCB in Pooler as well as students at Bryan High School. Here are some highlights of our conversation.

What did you hope to do with the tax reform tour?

The intent was to inform the public about what we are doing in Washington. This tax reform is some of the best legislation I have been associated with. Consider the fact that this is the first real tax reform in more than 30 years…It has positively impacted our national economy in fact this week we reported the highest tax revenues ever for the month of January.

What kind of feedback have you received from the folks you visited with this week?

 It has been very positive and optimistic when you consider here in the state of Georgia folks will get on average about $2000 more in their paychecks over the year. It’s not crumbs. For our people a couple thousand dollars is a lot of money.

What’s been the impact on businesses in the 1st District?

 Small businesses and corporations alike have been positively impacted by this tax reform. Consider that over 340 businesses nationwide have announced bonuses for their employees as a direct result of the Tax Reform and Jobs Act.

Speaking of the economy, what progress is there in getting full funding for the deepening of the port of Savannah?

 Well as you know the President put $49 million in his budget for the project. There are other funding sources available and we are very confident we will get the entire $100 million needed to insure the work continues to completion without any stoppages. Consider that the Savannah project got more funding than any other project in the budget and the cost to benefit ratio for the project is also significant. For every $1 invested we get a return of $7.30. So that shows it is a priority with the administration and rightly so.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about violence in our schools. How do we balance protecting our constitutional rights with the real need to protect our children?

 This week I spoke at three high schools and one college and this issue was on their minds. We need to be careful first that this issue doesn’t alienate us or separate us from each other. There is no one right answer. It’s going to be addressed at the federal, state and local level. Evil visited that school last week and you cannot legislate against evil. Finally, I am very upset, concerned and frustrated that the FBI fumbled their investigation.

Congressman Carter is there any other message you would like to communicate to your constituents in the 1^st District?

 Only that there is good news in the Tax Reform and Jobs Act that puts more money in your paychecks. I believe you are a better judge of how to spend your money than Washington DC is. This legislation is good for our economy and will continue to have a positive effect on our economy for years to come.

We want to thank 1^st District Congressman Buddy Carter for taking time out of his busy schedule in his district this week to visit with us and share his thoughts on tax reform and its impact throughout the state of Georgia