ATLANTA — Georgia's gas tax will continue to be suspended through mid-July by executive order, Gov. Brian Kemp announced on Thursday.
The gas tax was first suspended in March as prices initially ballooned, and the extension comes as Georgians have seen another surge in gas prices in recent weeks.
According to GasBuddy, the average gas price around Atlanta currently is about $4.14 a gallon. According to AAA, that's about 46 cents below the national average of $4.60 per gallon.
The gas tax in Georgia adds about 29 cents to every gallon.
The governor is also extended a supply chain state of emergency. Both policies will remain in effect until July 14.
In a statement, Gov. Kemp said he would "respond to record-high inflation and continuing supply chain issues by empowering Georgians to keep their money in their own pockets while we keep goods flowing."
“Politicians in Washington, D.C. who ran on promises to unite the nation are failing us, and I will not tolerate this on behalf of Georgians who have entrusted me to fight for them," Kemp, who won the Republican nomination to run for reelection earlier this week, said. "While we continue to do what we can on the state level to ease the burden at the gas pump, in the grocery store, and elsewhere, I will also continue to urge those on the federal level to change these failing policies, work toward greater energy independence for the country, and get our economy back to full operation.”
The sticker shock at gas pumps is still real, as motorists continue to contend with prices exceeding $4.00 per gallon.
"Dear sweet Jesus. I need a job to get to my other job," said Jaculin Monroe, who said she already has a couple of jobs.
Monroe is among the Georgians trying to recalculate their cost of living and gauging how to make it fit within a finite income. "You better start doing some mathematics real fast," Monroe said. "It's like, I gotta save money on my rent. I gotta save money on my lights. I gotta save money on my food. I’m like, damn. All this stress and stress and stress is like so much."
Steven Allen of Norcross said that it's also changed his budget a lot while fueling at a QuikTrip in Doraville.
"Now it’s twice as much as what I was paying for. It's like, I'd rather stay at home," Allen said.
Fuel prices on Thursday are about one-third higher than they were a year ago, according to AAA. "There's definitely less of a grocery shopping budget," Allen said. "I just hope it doesn’t stay at four dollars."
The gas tax suspension is scheduled to expire in mid-July. In consultation with legislative leaders, Gov. Kemp will have another election-year decision to make then about whether to extend it again.