Georgia governor extends motor fuel tax suspension

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has extended until at least Nov. 11 the state’s suspension of taxes on motor fuels, the governor’s office announced Friday.

The suspension of the taxes, which stand at 31.2 cents per gallon of gasoline and 35 cents per gallon of diesel fuel, was scheduled to expire 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.

According to AAA, the average diesel pump price in Georgia on Thursday stood at $4.20 a gallon. That is down from $4.31 a gallon a month ago. As of Thursday, the national average for diesel pump prices was more than $4.54 a gallon.

Motor fuel taxes in Georgia are paid to the state by fuel distributors and not by local gas stations. The gap between when distributors pay for taxed fuel and when the fuel reaches the pump means that fuel prices will rise based on the fill-up point.