Georgia gas tax suspension set to expire as drivers weigh relief at the pump against road funding
Gas | MGN
Georgia’s state gas tax, which helps fund road projects and transportation services across the state, could once again become a larger issue for drivers as Gov. Brian Kemp’s temporary suspension of the tax is set to expire next week.
The current suspension removes about 33 cents per gallon in state gas taxes, providing relief at the pump for Georgia drivers.
Many drivers CBS News Atlanta spoke with Wednesday said they would rather continue seeing relief now, even while acknowledging the money supports transportation infrastructure.
“If the roads are terrible, then you have to put more maintenance into your car,” said Marco Lemons, an Atlanta small business owner. “So it’s kind of like, you know what I mean, it’s give and take.”
Gov. Brian Kemp temporarily suspended the gas tax to help lower prices at the pump, but the current relief is set to expire June 19.
CBS News Atlanta reached out to the governor’s office to ask whether the relief could continue beyond next week.
Kemp’s press secretary said there is “no update just yet” on whether the governor will extend the suspension.
Dr. Raymond Hill, an economist with Emory University Goizueta Business School, said Georgia’s transportation funding system is larger than many people may realize.
“This is not a deduction from a $2.5 billion budget,” Hill said. “It’s a deduction from a much bigger budget. This may be, I don’t know, $4 or $5 billion, something like that.”
Hill said Georgia likely would not immediately feel the impact of a short-term suspension because the state is currently in a strong fiscal position.
“I don’t think we’re going to feel any of it,” Hill said. “Because Georgia is in a great fiscal position, and I don’t expect that we’re going to see projects be suspended or anything like that because we’re doing very well financially.”
Still, Lemons said road conditions remain a major concern for drivers across metro Atlanta.
“Road work is good too because a lot of places in Atlanta, the potholes are bad, the streets are bad,” Lemons said.
