Gov. Brian Kemp (center) with officials from Hyundai Motor Group at last year’s groundbreaking.
ATLANTA – A nonprofit organization that promotes close ties between the United States and Korea is honoring Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia Department of Economic Development for the state’s strong partnership with the Asian nation.
Kemp accepted the annual James A. Fleet Award, named for the general who commanded the U.S. Army at the height of the Korean War in 1951, Wednesday night at The Korea Society’s 2023 dinner in New York City. Fleet also was the nonprofit’s first president.
During a keynote address, Kemp stressed the strong and enduring partnership between Georgia and Korea.
“My first economic development mission as governor was to Korea,” Kemp said. “For Georgia to be the first state to receive this great honor alongside the former U.S. presidents, diplomats, and business icons who have been presented with this award in previous years is a true privilege.”
At least 144 Korean companies have operations in Georgia. Korean investment in economic development projects in the Peach State has exceeded $23.6 billion during the last decade, with total trade between Korea and Georgia reaching $13 billion last year.
Highlights of the Georgia-Korea partnership include the Kia automotive manufacturing plant, which opened in West Point in 2009; the huge electric vehicles “metaplant” Hyundai Motor Group is building west of Savannah; and the battery manufacturing facility SK Battery is building near Cartersville. Other Korean companies operating in Georgia include Kumho Tire and Hanwha Qcells.
“Georgia’s long-term commitment to diplomatic, cultural, and business engagement in Korea has supported transformative growth over decades, providing economic benefits for both countries,” Georgia Commissioner of Economic Development Pat Wilson said. “The priority we’ve placed on mutual partnerships, connectivity, responsiveness, and education has positioned us to maximize our leadership position to pave the way to a brighter future for generations to come.”
ATLANTA – Georgia manufacturing executives and a local economic developer defended the state’s tax incentives Wednesday to a legislative committee formed to determine whether Georgians are getting a healthy return on the revenue lost to tax credits and exemptions.
“We have been successful in the state of Georgia because of the tax policies we have,” Missy Kendrick, president of the Rome-Floyd County Development Authority, told members of the General Assembly’s Joint Tax Credit Review Panel meeting in Rome.
House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, formed the committee in March to take a look at all of Georgia’s tax incentives and determine whether they’re accomplishing the corporate investment and job creation for which they were intended.
At the panel’s opening hearing in June, supporters of Georgia’s film tax credit – by far the most expensive tax incentive the state offers – defended it as a major contributor to the success story of the state’s film industry, which has grown exponentially since the credit was adopted in 2008.
On Wednesday, it was Georgia manufacturers’ turn to urge the committee not to tamper with tax credits and exemptions that have helped their industries expand their presence in the Peach State.
The General Assembly adopted legislation a decade ago exempting inputs used in manufacturing – including energy – from sales taxes. At the time, only eight states were not offering the exemption, said Clay Jones, vice president and general counsel for the Georgia Association of Manufacturers.
“We don’t want to put our manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage,” he said.
Ballard Betz, president and CEO of The Lewis Chemical Co., a Rome-based manufacturer with 70 employees in four Georgia counties, said the sales-tax exemption is critical to his company staying afloat amid intense foreign competition.
“We cannot afford to give foreign companies an undue advantage over domestic manufacturers,” he said.
The committee also heard the other side of the tax incentives argument Wednesday from Nick Stark, director of tax and fiscal policy for the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization of state legislators that advocates limited government and free markets. He said broad-based tax cuts are a better way to drive business growth than tax incentives aimed at specific industries.
“The government doesn’t know how to pick winners and losers,” Stark said. “A better overall tax system with lower rates is a better incentive.”
Kendrick praised the formation of the tax review panel as a move toward fiscal responsibility and responsible government and said she’s confident the tax incentives Georgia offers to manufacturers will prove their benefit. She urged the committee not to do anything that would hurt Georgia manufacturers’ ability to compete.
“These other states are watching what we’re doing … waiting on us to make changes that impact our ability to remain the No.-1 state in which to do business,” she said. “These tax incentives really do make a difference.”
ATLANTA – Hyundai Motor Group and Georgia Tech have entered a partnership aimed at applying hydrogen technology in electric vehicles.
Representatives of the two parties signed a memorandum of understanding Monday to join forces in researching sustainable mobility, including developing a hydrogen economy.
Hyundai is investing $12.6 billion in an EV plant west of Savannah – the largest economic development project in Georgia history – and a battery manufacturing facility near Cartersville.
“Like Georgia Tech, Hyundai is a global brand that is synonymous with quality, innovation and a commitment to advancing technology to make a positive difference in the world,” Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera said Monday.
“The more we have gotten to know each other, the more obvious the alignment of our values has become.”
“Georgia is like a second home to us,” added Jay Chang, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Co. “We are thrilled to create a partnership with Georgia Tech that includes research and applications to support the future of sustainable mobility.”
Elements of the new partnership will include joint research and development programs focused on the future of sustainable mobility, such as battery technology and expanding the use of hydrogen in EVs. Georgia Tech and Hyundai also will create technical training and leadership development programs for Hyundai employees, while Hyundai will participate in career recruitment events at Georgia Tech.
Also, Bobby Dodd Stadium on the Tech campus is being renamed Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.
ATLANTA – Georgia’s Republican congressional delegation scored mixed results on a new scorecard released by a pro-Ukraine Republican group.
The group Republicans for Ukraine put out the scorecard in conjunction with a new ad campaign aimed at persuading more GOP members of Congress to support more U.S. spending to aid Ukraine’s war against Russia.
Lawmakers were graded based on criteria including their support for previous aid packages to Ukraine and public statements about the war.
In the Georgia Republican delegation, U.S. Reps. Drew Ferguson of West Point, Barry Loudermilk of Cassville, Rich McCormick of Suwanee, and Austin Scott of Tifton all received “A” marks.
Rep. Buddy Carter of Savannah scored a “B,” and Rep. Rick Allen of Augusta received a “B-“. Rep. Andrew Clyde of Athens got a “C,” and Reps. Mike Collins of Jackson and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome received “F” marks.
The $1 million ad campaign also includes a 30-second ad that will air in Georgia on Fox News this week and another 30-second spot that will run during the next Republican presidential debate on Sept. 27.
The campaign comes as national polls are showing support for Ukraine slipping among Republican voters. A recent CNN poll found 55% of Americans oppose additional U.S. aid to Ukraine.
“Now is a pivotal time for Americans, especially Republicans, to support Ukraine,” said Gunner Ramer, national spokesman for Republicans for Ukraine. “For just 5% of our annual defense budget, America has helped Ukraine destroy half of Russia’s army and liberate its territory and people. This is a great return on investment for American national security.”
President Joe Biden, who addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, is asking Congress for an additional $24 billion in security and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Many Republican lawmakers have balked at the idea, arguing the U.S. should instead focus more spending on combating illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Gov. Brian Kemp (right foreground) attended a briefing on illegal immigration at the Texas border in 2021.
ATLANTA – More than two dozen Republican governors, including Georgia’s Brian Kemp, sent a letter to President Joe Biden Tuesday demanding more aggressive action against illegal immigration.
“As a result of your policies which incentivize illegal immigration, our states are carrying the burden of both the years-long surge in illegal border crossings and cartels’ coordinated trafficking of drugs and human beings,” the governors wrote in the letter, spearheaded by Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte.
“Though we remain committed to addressing these issues, states cannot afford to respond to a challenge of such magnitude while the federal government continues to turn a blind eye.”
According to the letter, there have been more than 5.8 million illegal crossings at the U.S. southern border since Biden took office in January 2021. Another 1.6 million who have crossed illegally evaded apprehension, according to a federal Customs and Border Protection estimate.
Analysts estimate the annual net cost of illegal immigration at the federal, state, and local levels is at least $150.7 billion, the governors wrote.
“As governors, we call on you to provide honest, accurate, detailed information on where the migrants admitted at the southern border are being relocated in the United States, in addition to comprehensive data on asylum claim timelines and qualification rates, and successful deportations,” the letter continued.
Democrats, too, have criticized the Biden administration’s handling of illegal immigration. New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently called on the president to declare a national emergency that would accelerate the delivery of federal funds to help the city cope with an influx of illegal immigrants now being housed in hotels, homeless shelters and even airports.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security responded by accusing New York City of lacking a plan for getting migrants out of the shelter system.
