Georgia Governor Declares State of Emergency

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Tuesday due to 40-year-high inflation rates and negative economic conditions caused by Washington D.C. policies.

“As part of this declaration, he is temporarily suspending the state’s excise tax on motor and locomotive fuel to provide direct relief to families throughout the state,” a press release stated.

Georgia Governor Declares State Of Emergency, Suspends Fuel Tax https://t.co/2oaPBYzH9W

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“The executive order will go into effect on Wednesday, September 13 at 12:00 a.m. and will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on October 12, 2023. Consumers should expect the suspension to begin impacting prices after several days,” the press release read.

“From runaway federal spending to policies that hamstring domestic energy production, all Bidenomics has done is take more money out of the pockets of the middle class,” Kemp said.

“While high prices continue to hit family budgets, hardworking Georgians deserve real relief and that’s why I signed an executive order today to deliver it directly to them at the pump. Working with partners in the General Assembly, we’ll continue to help Georgians weather the economic headwinds caused by this president, his administration, and their allies in Congress,” he added.

Georgia's Kemp declares state of emergency over inflation, suspends gas tax | Just The News https://t.co/GMnrhOb4n3

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The Hill reports:

The order will suspend gas and diesel taxes in the state. This would be the second time in two years Kemp has suspended fuel taxes.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen took a different tone regarding the state of the economy in a Monday interview with Bloomberg. The cabinet official said she thinks the country will avoid a recession and is on track for a soft landing from high inflation.

“[U.S. economic] growth has slowed, but our labor market continues to be quite strong — I don’t expect a recession,” Yellen said.

Georgia @GovKemp declared a state of emergency due to high #Inflation and negative economic conditions "as a result of policies coming out of Washington," with the governor suspending taxes on diesel and gasoline to provide relief. https://t.co/WMuPWVAar4

— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) September 14, 2023

ABC News added:

Consumer prices increased 3.2% in July compared to a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, rose 4.7% in July compared to a year ago, particualrly because price increases for commodities like new vehicles and housing stand above the overall inflation rate.

The U.S. Department of Labor will release the latest inflation numbers on Wednesday.

The governor said Georgia residents will save “31.2 cents per gallon of gasoline and 35 cents per gallon of diesel fuel” under the state of emergency.

In March 2022, Kemp signed legislation suspending the state’s gas tax following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which led to a spike in gas prices across the country.

Cont. from Gov. Kemp’s press release:

According to an analysis from Moody’s Analytics from August, Americans are spending $709 more per month than 2 years ago and $202 more per month than last year. Suspension of the excise tax will save Georgians 31.2 cents per gallon of gasoline and 35 cents per gallon of diesel fuel. When the gas tax was suspended from March through December of last year, 2022, Georgians saved roughly $1.7 billion at the pump.

“I applaud Governor Kemp’s suspension of motor fuel taxes to keep our people and our economy moving despite Washington’s inaction on rising fuel prices,” said Speaker Jon Burns. “Georgia’s success story is no accident – it is the result of conservative policies enacted to keep Georgia the nation’s best state for business.”

Thanks to the hard work and conservative budgeting of Governor Kemp and the General Assembly, the State of Georgia can confidently suspend collection of the state motor fuel tax to help lessen the burden of historically high gas prices. According to AAA, the average cost of a gallon of regular gas in Georgia is currently $3.57, up from $3.24 a year ago.