Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) recently signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency and suspending Georgia's gas tax for two weeks.
This suspension will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on May 20 and run through June 3.
The Governor explained his intention to prevent heightened costs from interfering with Memorial Day weekend. He framed this action as the fulfillment of a longstanding commitment made with the General Assembly to keep costs down.
“As Georgia families prepare for the Memorial Day travel weekend, they should not feel blindsided by prices at the gas pump,” said Gov. Kemp. “Along with our partners in the legislature, we've remained committed to giving hardworking Georgians relief wherever able, and this action is another fulfillment of that promise.”
Though separate from the current motor fuel tax suspension enabled by House Bill 1199, which sunsets at 11:59 p.m. on May 19, this action is designed to give Georgians another two weeks of relief at the gas pump.
For context, Georgia's current motor fuel excise tax is 33.3 cents per gallon for gasoline and 37.3 cents per gallon for diesel.
The average cost of a gallon of regular gas in Georgia is currently $4.02 under the current gas tax suspension. That is a full 50 cents less than the national average, with Georgia being one of only two states to have suspended their motor fuel tax.
Lt. Gov. Jones's Support
Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones (R-GA) issued a statement in support of this suspension and personally thanked Gov. Kemp for taking action. He expressed pride in leading this effort in the General Assembly.
“I want to thank Governor Brian Kemp for extending the gas tax suspension and putting more money back in the pockets of hardworking Georgians,” said Lt. Gov. Jones. “I was proud to help lead the legislature’s efforts to suspend it for the past two months, and I commend the Governor for providing relief at the pump for an additional few weeks.”
