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A group of Georgia state representatives are hoping to remove income tax from military retirements.

One of the co-signers of HB-7 is newcomer Rep. Philip Singleton (R-Sharpsburg) who was sworn in as the newest state representative for Newnan’s District 71 less than a month ago. At his swearing in ceremony he announced his plans to form the House Veteran Caucus.

Another one of the co-signers on the bill, State Rep. Dave Belton (R-Buckhead), said in a recent article in James Magazine, that this was one issue he wanted to see lawmakers tackle in the upcoming 2020 session. Georgia is one of only nine states that fully tax military retirements. All states surrounding Georgia do not tax military retirement income.

“Because of this, we are losing a lot of military retirees to nearby states,” said Belton, during that interview. “And when you consider that most of these service members retire between the ages of 40 and 45, we are losing a lot of skilled workers. Governor Kemp has said he plans to look into this, and I will work to support his efforts.”

Other State Representatives signing on to the bill are: Rep. Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah), Rep. Bill Hitchens (R-Rincon), Rep. Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire), Rep. Heath Clark (R-Warner Robins) and Rep. Mike Glanton (D-Jonesboro).

Georgia currently has the fifth largest military population in America with an economic impact of over $28 billion yearly. The top five are California, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina and Georgia. Also, Georgia ranks as the second highest state in the nation in military recruits (doubling the national average), following only Florida.

Singleton also signed on to HR-6 which sets term limits for the Georgia General Assembly members. The legislation was introduced last session by Rep. Michael Caldwell and Rep. Wes Cantrell, both Republicans from Woodstock.