Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson used one of his final campaign stops to make a sweeping promise to Georgia voters: cut the state income tax in half within four years and freeze property taxes immediately. The pledges, central to his closing campaign message, come as Jackson and Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms make their last pitches to voters ahead of Election Day.
According to a report from FOX 5 Atlanta, Jackson held a final campaign rally in Forsyth County, where he pledged to freeze property taxes and cut Georgia income taxes in half. WSB-TV separately reported that Jackson held what his campaign called his final rally Sunday night in Cumming, drawing a packed crowd of supporters. Both outlets describe Jackson closing out his campaign with the same core tax promises that have defined his run for governor.
Jackson, the Republican candidate for Georgia governor, has built much of his platform around dismantling the state’s income tax system, according to PBS NewsHour. His campaign website lists the pledges plainly: cut the state income tax in half within four years, and freeze property taxes immediately, per his campaign action plan.
A Four-Year Promise With Stakes Attached
Jackson has tied his political future directly to the income-tax pledge. If he cannot halve the state income tax in four years, he promises not to seek a second term, PBS NewsHour reported. FOX 5’s candidate profile goes further, noting Jackson proposes halving the income tax within four years and working toward eliminating it within eight years entirely.
On property taxes, Jackson has framed his freeze as protection against rising home valuations driving up homeowner bills. Speaking to WJCL, he said, “Your property taxes will never go up again because of the valuation increase of your house.” He has also said his administration would automatically suspend the state gas tax when prices spike, according to the Georgia Recorder.
How Jackson Says He'd Cover the Lost Revenue
Georgia’s income tax is no small line item — it supports about half of the state’s budget, the Georgia Recorder’s voter guide notes. Jackson has said that any revenue lost from his cuts would be offset through economic growth, lower government operating expenses and updated technology, according to FOX 5’s candidate profile.
Georgia has already been moving toward lower income tax rates in recent years. The state’s top rate fell from 6% in 2018 to 4.99% today after lawmakers adopted a flat tax in 2024, according to Americans for Tax Reform. That shift traces back to Georgia House Bill 463, which lowered the personal and corporate income tax rate from 5.19% to 4.99% and allows for annual reductions of 0.125 percentage points, potentially reaching 3.99% through built-in revenue triggers, the group reports.
Georgia's Tax Rate Stacked Against Its Neighbors
Jackson’s push to eliminate the income tax altogether would put Georgia in line with some of its neighbors. Americans for Tax Reform notes that nearby Tennessee and Florida have no income tax at all. North Carolina, meanwhile, has a flat income tax rate of 3.99% today, with a scheduled reduction to 2.99% by 2028, per the same organization’s reporting.
With Election Day approaching, Jackson and Bottoms are making their closing arguments to voters across the state, each staking out starkly different visions for Georgia’s fiscal future. For Jackson, the tax pledges delivered at his final rally stand as the defining promise of his campaign — one he has said would cost him his job if left unfulfilled.
