ATLANTA — New tax incentives could mean a $1.6 billion boost for the Georgia economy, according to Governor Brian Kemp, after touring the Lockheed Martin site on Thursday.
Kemp talked to the media about the 150 new jobs created at Lockheed Martin after Georgia Senate Bill 6 passed this year.
The bill expanded tax breaks for high-impact aerospace defense projects.
“The C-130s are leading the efforts to get Americans and our allies out of Afghanistan for the last several days as the whole country has been watching, and they are made right here in Marietta,” Kemp explained.
The hope is the bill could help the Marietta plant land more big contracts leading to more job creation in metro Atlanta, including high-paying tech and engineering jobs.
“You had graduates from Kennesaw State, Georgia Tech, UGA engineering, and mechanical engineering - these kids are coming out making more in salary than I did in my first 15 years working when I got out of school,” said Kemp.
Gov. Kemp says future projects could translate to as many as 3,000 new jobs at Lockheed Martin and $1.6 billion overall in investments.
“It helps us compete and win those contracts," he added. "The economic impact that comes back, and the residuals we get off of that with the manufacturing and the residual jobs is incredible."