CAGW Applauds Georgia Budget Task Force

(Washington, D.C.) – The nation’s premier taxpayer watchdog group, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today congratulated Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle (R) upon the release of the report of the Budget Task Force.  The seven-member Task Force performed a detailed review of state government spending and operations, and the report provides 50 recommendations that have the potential to save more than $3 billion.  The proposals can help alleviate the state’s $1.6 billion budget shortfall without raising taxes.

“Georgia is the latest state to undertake the kind of detailed review of programs and functions that should be performed by governments at all levels, from federal to local,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz.  “States from South Carolina to Nevada have been issuing similar reports over the past several years and adopting recommendations to make government more efficient and effective.  The Georgia report notes that the 50 states are facing an overall $350 billion budget shortfall in fiscal year 2011, making these task forces even more essential.”

Recommendations in the Georgia Budget Task Force report include increasing “shared services” such as information technology and human resources, reducing and consolidating state agencies, selling real estate and reviewing leasing practices, using merit-based pay to help improve student achievement, and using lottery revenues for their intended educational purposes.

CAGW, which was created following the release of the Grace Commission report in 1984, has been working with and encouraging the creation of state “mini-Grace Commissions” around the country in order to promote more effective and efficient government, and to help balance budgets without raising taxes.

“The Task Force report includes commonsense proposals that any organization would adopt to improve its results on behalf of ‘investors,’ which in this case are the taxpayers,” added Schatz.  “While the recommendations are all straightforward and logical, politics often prevents even the best ideas from being adopted.  With the support of Lt. Gov. Cagle, task force members, and taxpayers, the legislature should review the proposals and move quickly to adopt them.  There is no reason to consider any tax increases to balance the budget; even those that some consider to be ‘popular’ or ‘easy’ such as excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol.”

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

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