Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suspending state gas and diesel taxes again
Georgia’s governor is suspending state taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel ATLANTA -- Georgia's governor is again suspending state taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, declaring a legal emergency over higher prices. Gov. Brian Kemp signed the executive order Tuesday morning. The suspension of the taxes, at 31.2 cents per gallon of gasoline and 35 cents per gallon of diesel fuel, begins Wednesday and lasts through Oct. 12. Georgia's government gave up an estimated $1.7 billion in revenue during an earlier suspension over 10 months from March 2022 to January 2023, about $170 million a month. Georgia can easily afford to forgo the cash, which is used mostly for roadbuilding. Not only is its rainy day account full, but it has roughly $10 billion in additional surplus cash in state accounts. The state is also likely to run another multibillion dollar surplus in the budget year that began July 1, unless revenues fall sharply. The move also lets Kemp shift the state's political conv...