Peach State Piffle

It turns out, both claims are true. Here are the details.

Tax increase: In 1989, Martin voted to raise the state sales tax from 3 percent to 4 percent. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called it "the largest tax increase in the state's history." Citizens for Tax Justice, a liberal group which advocates for "fair taxes for middle and low-income families," estimated that the extra pennies would add up to $165 more in taxes in a year for a household earning $29,000. The bill passed by a vote of 129 to 40.

Tax cut: Seven years later, in 1996, Martin voted for a bill to remove groceries from being subjected to the sales tax. Gov. Zell Miller called it the "largest tax cut in Georgia history," adding, "if you eat, you win." A family that spent $80 a week on groceries – the national average at the time, according to the Atlanta paper – would save $166 a year once the tax was gone.

Expense Account
Chambliss' ad says of Martin: "He increased his own government expense account." That's true. Martin voted in 1995 for a $16 increase in daily expense accounts for legislators, from $59 to $75. It was the first such increase in more than 10 years, according to the Senate majority leader at the time, and it passed by a vote of 123 to 48.

Jim Martin for Senate Ad: "Recession"

Announcer: Listen to Saxby Chambliss …

Chambliss: We may not be in a recession. I don't know what that term means.

Announcer: Saxby Chambliss doesn't understand what a recession means?

Chambliss: We may not be in a recession. I don't know what that term means.

Announcer: No wonder he opposes the Obama economic recovery plan. And opposes a middle-class tax cut. For six years he voted to get us into this mess. Jim Martin will help Barack Obama cut taxes for the middle class … and get our economy moving again.