Gov. Kemp signs 60-day Georgia gas tax suspension, bringing some relief at the pump
Relief is on the way for Georgia drivers who have been feeling the pain at the gas pump. Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a bill that temporarily suspends the state's gas tax for 60 days.
On Thursday, the Senate passed House Bill 1199 with a 51-0 vote, sending the bill to Kemp's desk for his signature. Officials are hoping that putting it on pause will help lower fuel prices.
The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Metro Atlanta is more than $3.79, according to AAA. That's up more than a dollar from a month ago and 80 cents up compared to the same time last year. The state's gas tax currently adds about 33 cents per gallon to the cost of gasoline.
Speaking at Friday's signing ceremony, Kemp said that the bill helps with the "immediate needs of Georgians."
"In the coming days and weeks, as retailers get new shipments of motor fuel, those prices on the billboards will not include the 33-cent excise tax on gasoline and the 37-cent tax on diesel fuel," Kemp said.
Rideshare drivers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport say they have been feeling the strain of the high costs.
"It went up pretty high. But to compensate that, I'm just working extra harder," Uber driver Christopher Reese said.
He's paying more to fill up his tank.
"A month ago, it was still, you know, it was $50 a day, seven days. So still $350 a week. Now it's gone up to probably like $400," Reese said.
For drivers, the gas tax suspension will make a difference.
"That'll be a relief. So I see more profit on my end," Reese said.
Moving company Atlanta Peach Movers is also feeling the effects of the rising prices.
"Gas prices are severely affecting our business right now. We're averaging about 300 more dollars per day for fuel costs. That is significant, but if you take it over a month, it's about $7000 a month," said Orlando Lynch, the Atlanta Peach Movers' owner.
He said the company's trucks take anywhere from 7,000 to 15,000 gallons of gas a week.
"We're burning a lot of fuel," Lynch said.
If gas prices continue to rise after the 60-day suspension of the gas tax ends, Lynch says customers could be impacted.
"We're in business to make a profit. And so eventually, we would have to pass the cost on," Lynch said.
It's not just the price of unleaded gas that's going up. In Georgia, the price of a gallon of diesel was $5.25 on Friday.
State Rep. Akbar Ali advocated for the gas tax suspension.
"We are going through a crisis right now. I'm glad that we have found a bipartisan and a caucus-wide way to deliver on this," Ali said.
This is the fourth time in recent years that Kemp and the Georgia Legislature have suspended the gas tax. The governor previously suspended it in 2022 during a spike in fuel prices tied to the war in Ukraine. The tax was also suspended in 2023 due to inflation and in 2024 after Hurricane Helene.
The benefits are likely to take a few days to trickle through to gas stations across the state.
