Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue vetoed two education-related bills last week, one of which would have provided an expansive tax credit to people who donated money to Georgia’s student-scholarship organizations. The bill would have allowed taxpayers to receive both a tax credit and a tax deduction for contributions and reduce their tax liability by 75 percent. The state cannot afford that change, Mr. Perdue, a Republican, said in his veto message.
“If some Georgia taxpayers could reduce their income-tax liability by 75 percent, it could have a significantly detrimental impact on other citizens’ educational and other opportunities,” his statement said.
Mr. Perdue also vetoed a K-12 capital-outlay program because lawmakers had attached an unrelated provision creating a new career and technical education initiative in state schools. Mr. Purdue said he had “serious concerns” about the unrelated provision.
