ATLANTA — For the third time this year, Gov. Brian Kemp ordered a suspension of Georgia’s fuel tax, as prices at the pump keep rising with no sign of relief.
The 30-day suspension order, which Kemp signed Monday, goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and runs through Oct. 29.
“Global markets remain unstable and are subjecting Georgians to unpredictable price shocks on basic goods and services,” said Kemp’s executive order, issued under his authority to declare a state of emergency.
The “inherently unpredictable” market shifts have been making it “difficult, if not impossible” for Georgians to manage their budgets, prompting the suspension, the order said.
The state motor fuel excise tax is 33.3 cents a gallon for gasoline and 37.3 cents a gallon for diesel.
The average price for a gallon of regular gas in Georgia is $4.19, according to Kemp’s office. Diesel averages $6.24 a gallon.
Diesel prices have more than doubled in recent weeks, state Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in a statement, hitting farmers.
Kemp, in a statement explaining his decision, said he and lawmakers have been committed to helping Georgians and small businesses “fight through the tough times” with billions of dollars in relief.
Prior motor fuel tax suspensions cost the state about $200 million a month.
In March, Kemp signed a 60-day gas-tax-suspension bill after it passed the state House 163-4 and the state Senate unanimously.
Then, in May, he issued a state of emergency and extended the suspension a couple of weeks, into early June. The General Assembly retroactively approved the extension in a special session in June.
A spokesman for Kemp’s office said lawmakers can approve the new suspension whenever they next convene, noting that prior fall suspensions were ratified during the regular session, which starts each January.