Speaker Ralston: About That Jet Fuel Tax Break…Not So Fast
Last week, the Georgia House passed a tax reform package that headlined with a reduction of Georgia’s income tax rates but also included the elimination of jet fuel taxes – a trophy long sought by Delta Airlines. Over the weekend, Delta decided to end a contract with the NRA. Speaker Ralston has now gone on the record with a “hint” of where the jet fuel tax stands as it sits awaiting action in the Senate:
“I am disappointed that certain corporations have chosen to engage in a sensitive debate by vilifying law-abiding supporters of Second Amendment rights. Likewise, I am troubled that this information was not made public until after the House of Representatives passed our comprehensive tax reform measure, HB 918.
As we know, HB 918 now sits in the Senate. The Senate may amend that bill as it moves through their chamber. I trust they, along with the Lt. Governor, will carefully consider the appropriate course of action.”
Expect an amendment in the Senate, and agreement in the House, to strip the jet fuel position from the tax reform bill.
About Author
Charlie
Founder of GeorgiaPol.com; Now weekly columnist Very interested in Georgia and Georginas. Interest in politics is waning daily.
Add a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I missed the vilifying Deal mentioned. Also it’s pretty clear that gopers will stand with 2nd amendment absolutists this fall, as always.
“Delta and United were offering discounts of 2 percent and 10 percent off online fares for flights to the NRA’s meeting in Dallas in June, according to the NRA’s website.” I don’t see how dropping this tiny discount vilified the supporters of a well-regulated militia.
Funniest part is those discounts are usually not the lowest fare in the market, but are discounted off of an “M” fare which is usually much higher.
Bye bye Amazon.
Maybe, but it also raises a concern of process. Even if Delta is just a temporary straw man punching bag, the nature of the response alone raises questions. Amazon won’t want their decisions – that are based upon the market or employee preferences- to be attacked for political purposes, or endanger finances for political purposes. It shows a weakness in the business environment, and heightens risk and public relations concerns. Say Amazon wants to show support for LGBT employees at some point- will that mean their tax credits get threatened? Who wants to put themselves into that position?
It may be that this a small yellow flag for Amazon, and not a large yellow or red one. But you gotta figure Amazon is counting flags among its suitors. I also wonder whether they have rated gubernatorial candidates. I would have thought there would have been a preference for Cagle, with the idea that he would continue the Deal legacy re: the business environment. Perhaps that assumption is also questioned now. Has Brian Kemp said anything about the Delta situation?
I have to agree with you btb. It’s just another mark in the ledger. And it may alter the way negotiations go as the next step approaches. I would imagine Amazon would want to make doubly sure any tax breaks agreed to cannot be undone.
Someone still struggling with understanding what the free market is I see.
I wonder if any heads will roll at Delta for costing them that cool 40 mill or so?
We’re a more attractive demographic than the average NRA member. ….. I suppose that is true when your demographic isn’t eating the laundry soap pods.
Delta blew it. All they had to say was …. we provide discounted airfare to many organizations and conventions across the political spectrum that makes our country great. So when you head to your next convention, Fly Delta … blah blah blah.
Instead, Delta dove head long into the discussion about gun-control. They caved to the organized Left and decided to single out and punish the viewpoint they disagree with. That’s why those of us who are seeking to end the bloody toll that gun control is placing upon our nation are angry.
We’ll see what the Senate does with this. There doesn’t seem to be a baby to be split here. Either you are for the 1st and 2nd Amendments or give special tax breaks to a Leftist corporation.
Unlike giving tax breaks to Rightist corporation? This is really a silly argument. 12 – 24 months from now when the tide eating teenagers (who can still seem to be the organize left?) have gone off to college, Delta will very quietly add the NRA back to it discount program the next time the NRA has a national convention in one of their major connector hubs.
This Gen Xer is not a Dave Mathews Fan.
I never had a pet rock, but I did have some two-tone platform shoes.
Kemp went to a school and shot some kids to show his support of the NRA.
Sarcasm, of course.
Delta didn’t “attack” anyone. They chose to discontinue a group discount.
The NRA, through their two spokespersons this past week, alleged that the media loves mass shootings, that crying white mothers are ratings gold, and that all individuals of a particular political party are socialists bent on forcibly removing a constitutional amendment.
Seems like Delta is being the reasonable party here.
Somewhere along the way, I saw someone express the opinion that the airlines would just move their fuel purchasing to a district that did not have a sales tax.
That’s not quite right since, unlike the family car where you fill and forget, the airlines like to land their aircraft with as little fuel as is safely possible. The fuel load contributes to the total weight of the aircraft, and landing a heavy airplane is hard on the airframe. Thus the general idea is to take on enough fuel at the departure point so that the plane can make it to its destination with a margin of fuel left over for contingencies. And, if the plane has to land prematurely, they have to dump fuel so that the plane can land safely.
That said, sales tax or no sales tax, Delta is going to be buying fuel at Hartsfield.
Again, if this is the organization you want to go to the mat to support in what will be a very good year for Democrats have at it…but dont be surprised when this is thrown at you
Speaking of the right wing …. here is Breitbart’s article about what is going on:
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/02/26/corporate-combat-georgia-conservatives-aim-derail-delta-state-subsidy-airline-cuts-nra-ties/
Check out Lt. Gov. Cagle’s tweet. ….. I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.
I”M LOVING US FIGHTING BACK !!!!
After 50 years of cowering in the corner for fear of offending some group of Weenified Turds, common sense conservatives are fighting back! Bottom line: we’re tired of the Dims and the Libs and all of their crap!!! And this, my friends, is due to one man and one man only. The man WE put into the White House! That be Trump! Glad to see his vision and strenght Trickling Down to the state wide pols as well!!
Trump, putting the CON back in conservative.
or expect huge campaign contributions. Lie Loud, Lie often!
You will pry those 10% discounts from our cold dead hands!
Well-played! (As in- such melodrama.)
My goodness, this reeks of thin skin.
“You will pry those 10% discounts from our cold dead hands!” she cried, as she clutched her faux Barbara Bush pearls. **cue organ sting**
Yea…yours and your party os simpering Wussies!!
keep up the name calling (yawn), just don’t forget to take your pail and shovel with you before you go home for supper and wipe that sand sand off your feet before you sit down at the dinner table.
Noway, I’m beginning to think that for you, policy is just an excuse so you can regress to childhood.
You know…Norway is pretty close to Russia…maybe being a Russian Troll pays pretty good these days (tele-work and all)
That tax break is dead as a door nail. Good job Cagle, Ralston et al. But it needed to be killed anyway as it not, as Pope seems to think, free market economics. It is rather, if anything, the antithesis thereof.
Great job Delta! It was only 40 mill a year after all. Maybe this will teach them to stay the heck out of all political disputes and concentrate on their on time percentage.
Now, I believe Ellyn is correct, but not just with Delta. I bet within 6 months over half of these companies will slink back to the NRA and attempt to realign with them on the QT. But the NRA should be skeptical of them imo.
And as stated above, this tax break needed to go regardless imo. I mean, what is Delta gonna do? Move their hub to Ft. Lauderdale? Yea, go for it Delta.
In the short-run, the logical move is to find new ways to pass on the cost increase to customers. But over time, if the breaks aren’t reinstated, they will lose some competitiveness against airlines that do get tax exemptions. So in the long-run, they may start shifting resources away in a manner that’s proportionate to the loss of competitiveness, which will also communicate their argument for the tax break- because you know there are a sufficient number of places that will offer Delta the tax break if they ask for it.
Amen! The loony leftists wearing pink genitalia hats and ranting in the streets have run our country for too long, while conservatives sat back and were…..well, conservative. Delta has been on the state dole for decades and it’s way past time to stop it. Especially when the corporation decides to step into a political hot potato like this one. It’s great to see the Repubs at the Capitol rear up on their hind legs!
BTW, I really love your cute little doggy avatar.
Well Sally…gonna be fun to see what you’re spouting out when us “libs” are in charge of Congress after 2018. I hope people like you keep right on posting as many places as you can. You make the case for Democratic control way better than I ever could
Follow this spot-on analogy:
Casey Cagle: “You look jus’ lika hawg, boy!”
Delta: “Wha-what’s this all about…?”
Casey Cagle: “Squeeeeeeaaaallll…!”
Lolololol!
Something’s wrong with you, boy.
By taking away that tax break, that’s a fairly good porking!!! Lololol!
Pork is an earmarked expenditure, or in this case an earmarked tax expenditure. So, taking away the tax break is the exact opposite of pork-ing.
Your jokes are wrong on so many levels.
Whoa, Noway – I don’t expect you to say things like that. Hang onto some dignity while gloating about this outbreak of common sense at the Capitol, friend.
That video is the heart and soul of you Weenies, Pope!
The “state” of Georgia has decided to use it’s power to tax to punish a private company for an internal decision the company made because it doesn’t like the decision.
Wonder what happens when the Democrats regain powers and start to use the tax code to punish the Koch Brothers? We have Georgia Pacific and a lot of other Koch businesses to punish. I hope I’m around to see the reaction from “conservatives.”
GA isn’t punishing Delta – they’re just stopping the punishing of GA taxpayers with another tax give-away in addition to what’s been going on for decades. Delta is a big boy and can paddle its own canoe without additional tax subsidies. They definitely make plenty of dough off their ridiculous Atlanta a/p monopoly that keeps air fares up for everyone who lives here.
You and the lt gov of the NRA should get your talking points together. Cagle says that when Delta reinstates the discount, he wiil reinstate the tax break for fuel.
It is hard to be principled when you’re leaders have none.
When Delta withdraws its snout from the political trough, they’ll get a nice pat on the head. And their tax break back. After a heartfelt apology, if course.
Actually, it’s benefiting Clayton Co. They were going to lose a substantial part of their budget due to lack of sales tax. It’s sweet you care about the citizens of Clayton Co. I dont think Delta needs the tax breaks either. Much better for the money to go to education and things people need.
Delta chose to be PC and stick its nose into a political crap storm. Their choice. And for what, really? The just Dixie Chicked themselves, at least in the short term. Got to be sooooo popular!! Lol! Cagle abuse of power? Nope…Delta just chose to take a seat at The Big Boy’s Table. And failed spectacularly!!
Yea, who in their right mind would have considered that when Delta decided to place themselves in the political arena, they would find themselves, wait for it…..in the political arena.
And if they did not realize exactly who it was they were going up against, then that’s a special kind of stupid.
And Delta, and the rest of us, need to remember this the next time Delta or other corps weigh in on RFRA, gay adoption, or any other issue.
You and the lt gov of the NRA should get your talking points together. Cagle says that when Delta reinstates the discount, he wiil reinstate the tax break for fuel.
It is hard to be principled when you’re leaders have none.
As a side note, the old corporate offices of Northwest and Midwest have finished their remodels at the Detroit and Milwaukee airports. Delta has options where it can place some of their admin staff.
Let’s see, corporations are people, but they’re the kind of people who aren’t allowed to exercise free speech?
What has happened to the Republican party?
“aren’t allowed to exercise free speech?” Oh, they can exercise their Free Speech Right. That speech may have consequences, though. Just ask that poor guy who doctored that Trump/WWF video to put CNN’s logo over Vince’s face. He was destroyed! So, What’s Good for the Goose…
Why couldn’t Casey just give back whatever money he raised from Delta and their employees? Wouldn’t that past muster with what he’s trying to achieve politically while not hurting a huge business in the state of which he’s trying to be Governor. Would certainly seem more noble, score a few political points, and is a measured response.
Delta did the equivalent of accidentally bumping into the Georgia Republican party’s shoulder as it walked by, then they apologized. The Georgia Republican party is seeking the death penalty in this assault case.
And on a slow news day no less. Bloomberg just discussed it this morning. When the holy grail of business journalism pipes in on your boneheaded move, you done messed up.
Where are you seeing the gay angle in this? Was something else said?
Something else was passed.
https://www.ajc.com/news/state–regional-govt–politics/georgia-senate-passes-bill-for-adoption-agencies-reject-gay-couples/wExAkUo54719Et4m7QXNjP/
Reading this discussion has been very interesting. Watching liberal and conservatives switch stripes is entertaining.
First why in the world is state government giving corporate welfare to Delta Airlines. Don’t just stop there, Caterpillar, UPS, Coke, Georgia Pacific, Georgia Power/The Southern Company etc, etc. These company’s lobby for corporate welfare in some form or the other all the time and we give it. No doubt this is our fault for allowing it after all other states do it and we would be at a disadvantage if we in Georgia don’t. The constant fear is those companies will pick up and move to greener pastures. They do it all the time anyway and I guarantee they have no loyalty to any state. Their loyalty is only to their bottom line. Again, whose fault is that? It’s ours for allowing this type of environment to exist. The only way to fix this environment is radically change the entire tax system.
Regarding the Delta situation, I don’t care who they give “discounts” to and I don’t believe in giving them a tax break on jet fuel or any other tax break. Until we come up with a better system pay your taxes Delta just like the rest of us must do. Why do you think you’re special?
Sorry Mr. Pope
Just 2 years ago, liberals were screaming rich companies like Delta don’t deserve “republican” tax breaks on jet fuel and those same arguments were being made by Republican’s. So long as we are in the business of tax breaks for big business state will live and die by how much corporate welfare they can extract from the taxpaying citizen. When big business can’t get enough they will move on. There is no loyalty in business except to the Board of Directors. No State should be in the business of picking winners and losers in the business world by unfairly tilting the playing field. That does not include foreign businesses propped up by their government to use the US as a dumping ground for inferior products.
Don’t worry to the national liberal elitist Georgia is just as hick-filled backwater as Mississippi and to the Atlanta liberal elitist everything outside the perimeter is hick-filled backwater. We hick-filled backwater citizens like it that way so don’t move out into the piney woods, it’s scary out here…
There are so many cliches in there it could be a Taylor Swift song.