Governor Would Reluctantly Sign Bill With No Delta Break

ATLANTA, GA — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal says he will sign a version of a tax bill that no longer gives Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines a break after the matter got snarled in the ongoing debate over gun rights. But he had some tough words for the politicians and others who forced him to make the decision.

On Wednesday, the state senate stripped a provision from the bill that would have eliminated Georgia's sales tax on jet fuel — a $50 million move which would have been a major savings for Delta, the state's largest private employer. That came after Delta, on Saturday, announced it would be ending a discount for members of the National Rifle Association.

The senate passed the bill in its new form on Thursday, meaning it now just needs Deal's signature to become law.

In Georgia's Republican-dominated legislature, leaders — most notably Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who is running for governor this year — decried Delta's move and quickly tied it to the tax bill. Deal, who championed the tax break, said Wednesday evening he has decided he will sign the bill, which in its new form still will provide an income-tax cut for most Georgians.

"When it has passed out of both chambers, I will sign it into law, because it is what is right for our citizens," said Deal. He said the bill in its current form would save Georgians more than $5 billion in taxes over the next five years.

But, without calling names, he had some tough words for those who tangled the tax bill up in gun-rights politics, which have grown heated in the wake of the Valentine's Day school shooting in Florida that killed 17 people and wounded another 16.

"We should be mindful when we do a debate of this kind how easy it is to lose one's temper and to allow one's words and actions to be inconsiderate," Deal said. "In the midst of this environment, I would say that we are called upon to do what is right by all Georgians."

Watch Gov. Deal's press conference here.

He described the way the debate has played out as "unbecoming squabbling" and said the bill had been "put at risk by the types of antics that tend to plague election years." He also noted that it hurts a pro-business environment that state GOP leaders have worked to establish in the state.

"We need to address the concerns of all in a dignified manner and with a maturity that our people deserve," Deal said. "Ours is a welcoming state, the epitome of Southern hospitality. We were not elected to give the late-night talk show hosts further fodder for their monologues or to act with the type of immaturity that has caused so many people in our society to be skeptical about politics."

On Saturday, with news of the deadly Florida school shooting and subsequent efforts to curb gun violence dominating the headlines, Delta joined a growing list of companies that announced they were ending discount deals and other partnerships with the National Rifle Association.

Critics of the gun-rights group say its intense and influential lobbying efforts, particularly with Republican lawmakers, have hurt the chances of common-sense firearm regulations that could curb school shootings like the one in Parkland, Fla., and elsewhere.

Related Stories:

• GA Lawmakers Stall Delta Tax Bill After Airline's NRA Snub
  
• Governor Announced Georgia Income-Tax Cut Plan
• Atlanta Makes Amazon Headquarters Short List

Cagle, who presides over the Senate and is running to replace Deal in this year's election, immediately tied Delta's NRA decision to the tax bill.

"I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA," Cagle said on Twitter. "Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back."

House Speaker David Ralston similarly condemned Delta's decision and tied it to the tax bill.

"I am disappointed that certain corporations have chosen to engage in a sensitive debate by vilifying law-abiding supporters of Second Amendment rights," Ralston said in a statement. "Likewise, I am troubled that this information was not made public until after the House of Representatives passed our comprehensive tax reform package, H.B. 918.

Critics, including Georgia Democrats, accused Republican leaders of grandstanding and hypocrisy — noting that punishing a private company for how it runs its business is the sort of anti-business maneuver they normally criticize.

Deal on Wednesday said he remains committed to pushing the jet-fuel tax break through the legislature, though he said Delta, too, deserves some of the blame for the snag.

"Delta made a statement or an action that caused this dispute to erupt," he said. "I've tried my best to resolve it within the time frame that we had available to us. I am still hopeful that some of those feelings and positions can be rectified. But they could not be within the time frame that we were operating under. There are a lot of people who share the blame for what happened here."

The debate is playing out as Georgia is hoping to lure Amazon to Atlanta. The city has been named one of 20 finalists to become home to a second headquarters for the Seattle-based online retail giant — which is expected to bring $5 billion in spending and 50,000 high-paying jobs to whichever area ends up getting the nod.

"I don't think it helps us," Deal said regarding how the current debate will impact recruiting Amazon, but said that Georgia still has much to offer.

Photo courtesy Gov. Nathan Deal's office