ATLANTA — A bill in the works to lift the state gas tax through the end of May could offer relief, but experts say the move could delay much-needed revenue for transportation projects and infrastructure in Georgia.
Governor Brian Kemp (R-Georgia) first announced the measure Tuesday in response to surging gas prices across the state. According to AAA, a gallon of gas costs $4.27 on average in Georgia as of March 10. In metro Atlanta, a gallon of gas costs $4.31 on average. The national average for gas is also $4.31/gallon.
The governor released more details Wednesday, saying he would have to work with the General Assembly to pass a bill that would allow the state to temporarily forgo the state gas tax. Currently, the state gas tax is 29-cents per gallon. To fill up a vehicle that has a 15-gallon gas tank with regular gas, one would save $3.15 per fill-up, if the state gas tax was suspended. In metro Atlanta, that equates to $4.35 in savings per fill-up.
"It's starting to take a toll to some degree, because money isn't what it used to be because everything costs more," driver Maureen Poole said. "Suspending the gas tax would definitely help week-to-week for gas prices. I would be in favor of it."
Dr. Iryna Hayduk, an economics professor at Clayton State University, said Georgia's revenue could take a hit and miss out on hundreds of millions of dollars if the suspension of the state gas tax went into effect. That money typically pays for transportation projects and infrastructure across Georgia.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia) is co-sponsoring a bill in Congress that would temporarily suspend the federal gas tax, which is about 18-cents per gallon. If both gas taxes are suspended, that would equate to nearly 50-cents per gallon in savings for drivers.
"The gas cost for Georgians will decrease, and this is important because the country’s also facing inflation," Hayduk said. "The local government has to step in to ensure, in the short-run, the direct impact on Georgians is as low or small as possible."
Hayduk said in the long run, the United States must decrease its dependence on foreign oil and find more viable alternative energy sources. Hayduk, a Ukrainian native, said Russia's invasion along with more demand for gas have driven up crude oil prices globally.
Deonte Daugherty is looking for a more long-term solution to relieve pressure at the pump. While hopeful a suspension of the state gas tax could lead to lower prices, he believes the impact would likely not be long-lasting.
"We need something right away. This is an SOS right here," Daugherty said. "They need to do something about this right away because it looks like it's just going to keep going up. I’m a traveling contractor, so I do home improvement. I’m going to have to raise my prices because the gas money I’m spending is the money I’m going to go make. I’m just going to try and have to keep up with everything going up.”