The Georgia State House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday to repeal a tax break on jet fuel after Delta airlines publicly criticized the state’s new election reforms.
Delta will keep its tax break because the bill did not pass in the Senate, The Hill reported. Republican House Speaker David Ralston said Thursday morning that the legislation was meant as a response against Delta for their public rebuke of the state’s election reform. (RELATED: Georgia’s New Voting Law — Myths And Facts)
In the waning hours of the legislative session, the Georgia state House passed a bill to repeal a tax break on jet fuel, aimed squarely at one of the state’s largest companies and the largest operator of flights into and out of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. https://t.co/IJONYk4CSM
— The Hill (@thehill) April 1, 2021
“They like our public policy when we’re doing things that benefit them, and they reap the rewards of those benefits and then turn around and do this,” Ralston said according to Georgia Public Broadcasting. “As all of you know, I can’t resist a country boy line or two, you don’t feed a dog that bites your hand. You’ve got to keep that in mind.”
Delta is one of several companies and executives that have publicly come out against the recent Georgia election bill. The companies include Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Citibank, among others.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a Wednesday morning memo to employees that the law is “unacceptable and does not match Delta’s values.” (RELATED: ANALYSIS: Democrats Say Georgia’s Voting Law Is The New Jim Crow. Here’s What It Actually Does)
“It’s evident that the bill includes provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly Black voters, to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives,” he added. “That is wrong.”
“I’m glad to deal with it,” Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Wednesday on CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” referring to the corporate criticism. “If they want to have a debate about the merits and the facts of the bill, then we should do that. I would encourage these CEOs to look at other states that they’re doing business in and compare what the real facts are to Georgia.”