Georgia Senate approves 60-day gas tax suspension; Bill headed to Gov. Kemp’s desk

A bill that would suspend Georgia’s motor fuel tax for 60 days has been passed by the state Senate.

On Thursday, a day after the House approved the measure, the Senate unanimously voted to approve the amended House Bill 1199. The bill now goes to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature.

The move comes as Georgia drivers have seen rising costs at the pump as the war between Iran, the U.S., and Israel intensified. Global supplies of fuel remain under pressure because of Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.

AAA reports that the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas was about $3.77, up nearly 96 cents from a month ago and almost 87 cents from the same time last year.

Georgia’s motor fuel tax currently adds about 33 cents per gallon to the cost of gasoline.

If approved by the Senate and signed into law, the temporary suspension would reduce the price drivers pay at the pump by removing the state’s excise tax during the 60-day period. The benefits are likely to take a few days to trickle through to gas stations across the state.

“The Governor is always actively working to find ways to support hardworking Georgians, including this step alongside the legislature to keep more money in their pockets,” a spokesperson for Kemp told CBS News Atlanta.

The move would follow several similar actions by Kemp in recent years. The governor previously suspended Georgia’s gas tax in 2022 during a spike in prices tied to the war in Ukraine, again in 2023 amid high inflation, and briefly in 2024 following Hurricane Helene.