ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp announced on Saturday, October 24, that he is extending the state's state of emergency due to global market volatility, along with the suspension of Georgia's motor fuel excise tax, through November 30, according to the governor's office. Kemp said he made the decision in consultation with Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and House Speaker Jon Burns.
Source: Office of Governor Brian P. Kemp (gov.georgia.gov), Oct. 24, 2026
The suspended state excise tax is 33.3 cents per gallon for gasoline and 37.3 cents per gallon for diesel, the governor's office said. The suspension first began on September 28, and Georgia's average price for regular gasoline has remained well below the national average since then, the office said, citing AAA figures that put Georgia's average at $3.66 a gallon for regular gasoline and $5.72 for diesel.
Source: Office of Governor Brian P. Kemp (gov.georgia.gov), Oct. 24, 2026
"With a major holiday coming up and fuel prices still at high levels, I am proud to take this step to keep more money in Georgians' pockets," Kemp said in the announcement. He credited the state's fiscal stewardship and support from General Assembly partners for making the relief possible, according to the governor's office.
Source: Cobb County Courier, Oct. 25, 2026
The extension keeps the relief in place through the Thanksgiving holiday travel period and past the November 3 midterm elections, where fuel prices have become a major issue, the Cobb County Courier reported. Earlier executive orders in the same emergency also suspended state weight limits on commercial vehicles and penalties for using off-road dyed diesel on roads, according to the announcement — measures aimed in part at farmers and truckers moving goods through the state.
Source: Cobb County Courier, Oct. 25, 2026
For Georgia's trucking community, the 37.3-cent diesel suspension is the largest single piece of the relief: diesel powers the freight corridors running through Atlanta and across the state, and every cent per gallon comes off the operating cost of each load while the suspension lasts. The suspension now runs through 11:59 p.m. on November 30 unless it is extended again.
Source: News Now Georgia, Oct. 24, 2026