Atlanta, March 20, 2026 — Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 1199 into law Friday at the Georgia State Capitol, suspending the state's motor fuel tax for 60 days. The move delivers direct savings to Georgia drivers at a time when gas prices have surged sharply amid escalating Middle East tensions.
The bill passed the General Assembly with near-unanimous bipartisan support — 163-4 in the House and 51-0 in the Senate — before landing on Kemp's desk just one day later.
The suspension removes 33.3 cents per gallon on gasoline and 37.3 cents per gallon on diesel from the pump price. Because the tax is applied at the distributor level, drivers should begin seeing savings within a few days. For a typical 15-gallon fill-up, that translates to roughly $5 in savings per visit.
AAA reports the average gallon of regular unleaded climbed to approximately $3.77 — up nearly 96 cents from just a month ago. The spike is tied to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the U.S., and Israel, and Iran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply travels.
Governor Kemp called the bill “great news for all Georgians.” House Speaker Jon Burns praised the legislature for delivering “meaningful, timely relief to millions of Georgia drivers.” Rep. Akbar Ali (D-Lawrenceville), who had long pushed for the suspension, called it simply “a victory for the working people of Georgia.”
This is Kemp's fourth gas tax suspension since 2022, following similar actions during the Ukraine war price spike, the 2023 inflation surge, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The governor's office says total savings for Georgia families from tax suspensions and refunds since 2021 now exceed $10 billion.
For Georgia's Asian American community — densely concentrated in Gwinnett, DeKalb, Fulton, and Cobb counties — the relief is practical and immediate. Small business owners, food service workers, delivery drivers, and working families who depend on personal vehicles stand to benefit most during the 60-day window, which runs through late May 2026.
