ATLANTA -- The Georgia General Assembly on Saturday ratified Governor Sonny Perdue's decision to suspend state motor fuel taxes for the month of September, and the governor signed the bill into law.
As we continue to feel the impact of Hurricane Katrina, Georgians deserve a break at the gas pump and in the wallet, he said.
Under Georgia law, the legislature was required to ratify the governor's executive order to make the gasoline tax relief permanent. House Bill 1EX includes exemptions for aviation fuel and diesel fuel used on [image-nocss] and off road.
An additional provision makes it a violation of the Fair Business Practices Act for a retailer to fail to pass the tax exemption on to the purchaser of fuel. This will be enforced by the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs. Violations will be subject to a penalty up to $5,000 per violation.
According to the AAA Auto Club South, the average retail price for regular unleaded gasoline has dropped 23 cents since the gasoline tax moratorium was enacted. AAA attributed the fall in gasoline prices to Governor Perdue's decision.
Earlier, Perdue took new actions to encourage fuel conservation in Georgia. At his request, Dr. Carol Couch, director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD), requested that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extend the relief provided from a waiver of sulfur requirements for gasoline and diesel fuel. The original waiver granting enforcement discretion for sulfur requirements in gasoline and diesel fuel was granted on August 31, and scheduled to last through September 15. Georgia requested that EPA extend the waiver until October 5. EPA agreed to extend the waiver until October 5.
There will likely be a prolonged need for Georgians to continue to conserve fuel, said Perdue. The extension of this waiver will help prevent gasoline and diesel fuel shortages in the near future.
Also, Perdue sent an e-mail to all state agency department heads, strongly encouraging them to explore opportunities for a four-day work week or telecommuting options among their employees. I would like to ask you to examine your work force again and determine if teleworking or a four-day work week would be appropriate options for your employees, he said. As the single largest employer in Georgia, state government needs to set a positive example by using fuel in an efficient manner.
Meanwhile, as of Saturday, the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs had issued 80 letters of notice to gas stations that may have illegally hiked their gasoline prices in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, added a report by the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Several notices were sent to Gwinnett, Ga., stations suspected of price gouging, and Lawrenceville seemed to be one of the popular areas, said state Consumer Affairs spokesperson Bill Cloud. Most of the notices were sent to stations in metro Atlanta, Cloud said.
The Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs has received more than 1,000 complaints of price gouging, according to the report.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.