Tax Policy Podcast
January 19, 2011
Prof. Christine P. Ries
Hello, and welcome to the Tax Policy Podcast. Our guest this week is Christine Ries, Professor in the
School of Economics at the Georgia Institute of Technology – better known as Georgia Tech – and a
member of the state of Georgia’s Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness. Thanks for being with us,
Prof. Ries.
To give our listeners a little background, the Council was created by an act of the Georgia legislature and
tasked with conducting a study of the state’s current tax system and making recommendations for its
improvement. Our topic this week is the list of recommendations in its final report which was recently
presented to state leaders and made available to the public.
Q: Prof. Ries, what’s the biggest change in the overall philosophy of taxation that we see reflected in the
Council’s recommendations?
Q: What are the most important changes on the Council’s list of recommendations?
Q: The Council’s report describes its goal as making sure Georgia is “a pro-growth, job-friendly state.”
What elements of a state’s tax code is most important when it comes to helping foster job growth and
economic development?
Q: What was the process of working with the other Council members like? I understand you had a great
deal of input from the public and various interested parties.
Q: What has been the response to the plan, both from other economists and among political leaders in
the state?
Q: Some other states, such as Vermont, have also had state commissions evaluating their own tax
systems. How does Georgia’s plan differ from what some other states have been doing?
I want to thank our distinguished guest today, Prof. Christine Ries of Georgia Tech and a member of the
Georgia’s Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness. Thanks again for being with us today.
And that brings us to the end of this episode of the Tax Policy Podcast. Thanks for listening.