Home

What's New

Report | Georgia PIRG Education Fund | Transportation

A New Direction

The Driving Boom—a six decade-long period of steady increases in per-capita driving in the United States—is over. The time has come for America to hit the “reset” button on transportation policy—replacing the policy infrastructure of the Driving Boom years with a more efficient, flexible and nimble system that is better able to meet the transportation  needs of the 21st century. 

> Keep Reading
News Release | Georgia PIRG | Tax

Offshore Tax Havens Cost Average Georgia Taxpayer $712 a Year, Georgia Small Business $1,963

ATLANTA, April 4 – With Tax Day approaching, it’s a good time to be reminded of where our tax dollars are going. Georgia PIRG released a new study today which revealed that the average Georgia taxpayer in 2012 would have to shoulder an extra $712 in taxes to make up for the revenue lost due to the use of offshore tax havens by corporations and wealthy individuals.

> Keep Reading
Report | Georgia PIRG | Tax

Picking Up the Tab 2013

Some U.S.-based multinational firms and individuals avoid paying U.S. taxes by using accounting tricks to shift profits made in America to offshore tax havens—countries with minimal or no taxes. They benefit from their access to America’s markets, workforce, infrastructure and security; but they pay little or nothing for it—violating the basic fairness of the tax system and forcing other taxpayers to pick up the tab.

> Keep Reading
Media Hit | Consumer Protection

State government ethics a work in (sort of) progress

As lawmakers continue debating ethics and transparency in Georgia government, with the hourglass emptying fast on the 2013 session, yet another independent nonprofit think tank has given the state a less than encouraging grade.

> Keep Reading
News Release | Georgia PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

New Report: Georgia Receives a "C+" in Annual Report on Transparency of Government Spending

ATLANTA, March 26 – Georgia received a “C+” when it comes to government spending transparency, according to “Following the Money 2013: How the States Rank on Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data,” the fourth annual report of its kind by the Georgia PIRG Education Fund.

> Keep Reading

Pages

News Release | Georgia PIRG | Tax

Offshore Tax Havens Cost Average Georgia Taxpayer $712 a Year, Georgia Small Business $1,963

ATLANTA, April 4 – With Tax Day approaching, it’s a good time to be reminded of where our tax dollars are going. Georgia PIRG released a new study today which revealed that the average Georgia taxpayer in 2012 would have to shoulder an extra $712 in taxes to make up for the revenue lost due to the use of offshore tax havens by corporations and wealthy individuals.

> Keep Reading
Media Hit | Consumer Protection

State government ethics a work in (sort of) progress

As lawmakers continue debating ethics and transparency in Georgia government, with the hourglass emptying fast on the 2013 session, yet another independent nonprofit think tank has given the state a less than encouraging grade.

> Keep Reading
News Release | Georgia PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

New Report: Georgia Receives a "C+" in Annual Report on Transparency of Government Spending

ATLANTA, March 26 – Georgia received a “C+” when it comes to government spending transparency, according to “Following the Money 2013: How the States Rank on Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data,” the fourth annual report of its kind by the Georgia PIRG Education Fund.

> Keep Reading
Media Hit | Tax

Tax havens and tax refund fraud

States with budget shortfalls are struggling to account for the revenue gaps. One way to boost their economic health would be for states and the federal government to close corporate tax loopholes, writes an official for a nonprofit consumer group. A certified public accountant suggests changes in the U.S. tax code would raise revenue but might also cause substantial job losses. A third writer talks about stopping tax refund fraud.

 

> Keep Reading
Media Hit | Tax

Georgia PIRG: Tax offshoring costs Georgia $569 million

A Georgia consumer group claims the state lost $569 million in corporate income taxes in 2011 from companies using offshore tax havens.

In a study released Tuesday, Georgia Public Interest Research Group Education Fund said “states automatically lose billions of dollars in revenue each year simply because their tax codes are closely linked to federal tax codes. When multinational firms shift the reporting of profits offshore on their federal taxes, those profits go un- reported for state tax purposes too.”

> Keep Reading

Pages

Result | Public Health

KIDS’ SCHOOL LUNCHES NOW SAFER

For years, America’s schoolchildren have been eating beef, chicken and other foods that would have been rejected as substandard even by fast food chains. Thanks in part to our advocacy, the U.S.D.A. has stopped buying such low-quality meat for school lunches.

> Keep Reading
Result | Health Care

Young People Now Covered

This year, the federal health care reforms that Georgia PIRG worked to win have started to pay off for young people. In the past, teens saw their premiums soar or were denied coverage when they turned 19, even if they’d been insured their whole lives. Now, they can remain on their parents’ plans until age 26. 

> Keep Reading
Report | Georgia PIRG Education Fund | Transportation

A New Direction

The Driving Boom—a six decade-long period of steady increases in per-capita driving in the United States—is over. The time has come for America to hit the “reset” button on transportation policy—replacing the policy infrastructure of the Driving Boom years with a more efficient, flexible and nimble system that is better able to meet the transportation  needs of the 21st century. 

> Keep Reading
Report | Georgia PIRG | Tax

Picking Up the Tab 2013

Some U.S.-based multinational firms and individuals avoid paying U.S. taxes by using accounting tricks to shift profits made in America to offshore tax havens—countries with minimal or no taxes. They benefit from their access to America’s markets, workforce, infrastructure and security; but they pay little or nothing for it—violating the basic fairness of the tax system and forcing other taxpayers to pick up the tab.

> Keep Reading
Report | Georgia PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Following the Money 2013

Every year, state governments spend tens of billions of dollars through contracts with private entities for goods and services, subsidies to encourage economic development, grants, and other forms of spending. Accountability and public scrutiny are necessary to ensure that state funds are well spent.

> Keep Reading
Report | Georgia PIRG Education Fund | Tax

The Hidden Cost of Offshore Tax Havens

When U.S. corporations and wealthy individuals use offshore tax havens to avoid paying taxes to the federal government, it is an abuse of our tax system. Tax haven abusers benefit from our markets, infrastructure, educated workforce, and security, but they pay next to nothing for these benefits. Ultimately, taxpayers must pick up the tab, either in the form of higher taxes, cuts to public spending priorities, or increased national debt.

> Keep Reading
Report | Georgia PIRG Education Fund

Transparency in City Spending

Following our earlier studies of government spending at the state level, this report evaluates the progress of America’s 30 largest cities toward “Transparency 2.0” – a standard of comprehensive, one-stop, one-click budget accountability and accessibility.

> Keep Reading

Pages

Blog Post | Food

Meat Industry Admits: We Need Food Safety Inspectors | Laura Murray

We’ve already written about the impact that sequestration’s across-the-board cuts will have on food safety. Now the meat industry itself chimes in.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Food

Dangers on Our Dinner Tables | Laura Murray

Sequestration’s across-the-board approach to cuts would reduce the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service budget by 8.2 percent, or $86 million. According to a White House OMB report released in September 2012,  with this significant cut the USDA’s efforts to “inspect food processing plants and prevent foodborne illnesses would be curtailed.”

This is bad news for consumers. The food inspection program is our first line of defense against contaminated food.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Tax

Tis the season! For taxes, that is. | Laura Murray

 

My W-2 just came in the mail, my bank is sending me reminders to download my 1099, and my TV is full of kindly tax service professionals who assure me that they’re there to help. This weekend I’ll sit down at the kitchen table with a pile of forms and a checkbook, and I’ll pay my taxes. It’s not glamorous, but it’s something we all do.

Well, almost all of us.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Democracy

Rally to Reclaim Our Democracy | Laura Murray

This Monday, January 21st, is significant in American democracy for a number of reasons.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Financial Reform

New Year, New Legislative Session | Laura Murray

Resolutions were made, the Peach was dropped, and a new year is beginning in Georgia.  For those of us who are public interest fighters, a new year means that a new legislative session, ripe with opportunity, is beginning at the Gold Dome.

> Keep Reading

Pages

Tools & Resources

  • STOP TAX DODGERS
    Corporate tax avoidance cost taxpayers $100 billion last year. We're working to close the loopholes that allow companies to avoid paying the taxes they owe.
    Learn more
    Take Action
  • YOUR TAX DOLLARS BECOME CORN SYRUP
    At a time when one-in-three kids is overweight or obese, over a billion taxpayer dollars go to high-fructose corn syrup and junk food ingredients.
    Learn more
    Take Action
  • Reclaim Democracy
    The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision ushered in an era of unprecedented spending by big money in our elections, but we're working to return our democracy back to the principle of "one person, one vote."
    Learn more
    Take Action
  • BUILDING A BETTER HEALTH CARE MARKETPLACE
    Now the fight for health care reform is in Georgia.
    Learn More

PRIORITY ACTION

Some of the nation’s best-known companies — including GE, Google and Goldman Sachs — have avoided paying the taxes they owe, costing us $100 billion last year.

Send an email

Support Us

Your donation supports Georgia PIRG’s work to stand up for consumers on the issues that matter, especially when powerful interests are blocking progress.

donate today

Consumer Alerts

Join our network and stay up to date on our campaigns, get important consumer updates and take action on critical issues.