Peach Tree Times

As a record budget surplus reveals $5 billion in excess funds, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) has announced plans to give almost half of that back to taxpayers, according to a recent report by FOX 5 Atlanta.

This comes as home prices haves skyrocketed across the country, leaving local property tax bills in Georgia hitting homeowners especially hard.

"I believe that isn't the government's money," Kemp told FOX 5 Atlanta. "It's yours and our job isn't to spend it all just because we can…For families struggling to make ends meet, I know that higher bills in the mail can force cutting back on other household necessities. For young Georgians just getting settled into their first home or parents who are sending their kids off to college, unforeseen jumps in property values and local tax bills over the last year only add to the uncertain times that we are in.”

During a recent news conference at the state Capitol, Kemp highlighted plans for another round of about $1 billion in income tax rebates that mirror those state lawmakers approved earlier this year, FOX 5 reports.

According to the report, Kemp has also stressed he’s hoping to be able to allocate about $1 billion to give property owners a "Georgia Homeowner Rebate," paving the way for homeowners to save as much as 25% on their property tax bill or an average in the neighborhood of $500.

With the proposed legislation still needing to be approved by the state lawmakers, the earliest Georgians could see the governor's proposed tax breaks would be in early 2023, FOX 5 reports.