Georgia Lawmakers Symbolically Try to Pull Delta’s Jet Fuel Tax Break

The Georgia state legislature is making a move to rescind a $40 million jet fuel tax break given to Delta Air Lines in 2018, after chief executive Ed Bastian changed his position to stand in opposition of Senate Bill 202. The state House of Representatives voted to claw back the tax break, which immediately died after the state Senate adjourned their yearly session.

Georgia politicians are firing back (symbolically) against Delta Air Lines and chief executive Ed Bastian, after he changed course to condemn the state’s controversial new voting law. CBS News reports the Georgia House of Representatives forwarded a bill to claw back the airline’s jet fuel tax break, but the measure ultimately died in the state Senate.

Grandiose Gesture Shows Retaliatory Tactics Available to Legislators

The bill was hastily drawn up in the state’s lower chamber after Bastian issued a strongly-worded statement against Georgia’s Senate Bill 202. After using much softer language to explain the Atlanta-based carrier’s position – which was met by severe public backlash – the executive issued a new memo that said the overhaul was “unacceptable and does not match Delta’s values.” Bastian claimed that he needed time to “fully understand all that is in the bill,” and: “The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections.”

After the statement, members of the Georgia House of Representatives drafted a bill to strip the $40 million tax credit granted in 2018. Although the law benefits more than just Delta, Bastian’s carrier received the majority of the financial support.

However, the attempt ended up being little more than a symbolic gesture against one of the state’s biggest employers. While the bill was advanced in a late-day vote on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, it was not taken up by the Senate before its yearly session was adjourned.

Bastian’s comments came as several companies started adjusting their positions to the voting rights overhaul. Other major companies headquartered in Georgia, including Coca-Cola and Home Depot, also issued statements against the new legislation.

Latest Move Marks Second Time Georgia’s Lawmakers Attempted to Politically Punish Delta

The legislative move is the second attempt by Georgia legislators to strip the tax credit from Delta. In 2018, lawmakers attempted to take away the jet fuel credit after Delta cut ties with the National Rifle Association.