Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed off on a bill Friday that now includes a provision that suspends the state’s gas tax for 60 days.
House Bill 1199, sponsored by state Rep. John Carson, is a yearly routine bill that brings the Georgia tax code in line with the IRS. A last-minute amendment proposed on the House floor suspends the gas tax for 60 days once signed by Gov. Brian Kemp, who last week said he was monitoring the situation but did not commit to suspending the gas tax.
The bill passed the House on a 163-4 vote on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Senate agreed to the amendment on a 51-0 vote.
“Obviously, with the gas spiking like they have, it was the right thing to do,” said Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who presides over the Senate, after the vote.
Gas prices have jumped since the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran began Feb. 28. Gas prices nationwide averaged about $3.91 Friday — that’s up from $2.93 one month ago, according to AAA. In Georgia, the average sat at $3.79 per gallon.
“Georgians need relief right in the gas pump. With all the controversy going on in the Middle East, gas prices are up, about a dollar that I’ve seen. We’re going to put a suspension on the Georgia gas tax for 60 days upon the governor’s signature,” said Carson, a Marietta Republican.
The current gas tax for gasoline is 33.3 cents per gallon and 37.3 cents per gallon for diesel.
“By suspending the state motor fuel tax for 60 days, we are delivering meaningful, timely relief to millions of Georgia drivers and families when and where it’s needed most,” House Speaker Jon Burns, a Newington Republican, said in a statement.
Rep. Akbar Ali, a Lawrenceville Democrat, who previously pushed for the gas tax suspension, said in a statement that passing the measure is “a victory for the working people of Georgia.”
“This relief ensures that when Georgians go to the pump tomorrow, they are no longer paying a premium for a world of uncertainty they did not create,” Ali said.
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