Republican lawmakers in Georgia made good on a threat to eliminate a proposed tax break for Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, after the carrier declined to
Republican lawmakers in Georgia made good on a threat to eliminate a proposed tax break for Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, after the carrier declined to reverse a decision to cut ties with the National Rifle Association.
Earlier this week, Delta — the state’s largest private employer with 33,000 workers statewide — was among numerous companies to announce that it would end discounts for NRA members in the wake of the mass shooting that killed 17 people at a Parkland, Fla., high school.
Immediately afterward, Georgia’s Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, a Republican and staunch NRA ally, said he would « kill » legislation to give the airline a sales tax exemption on jet fuel. The proposal, estimated to be worth at least $38 million to Delta and other airlines, had until then been largely uncontroversial.
Ignoring warnings that taking on Delta could harm the state’s pro-business image, the GOP-controlled House, which had earlier approved a larger tax bill containing the exemption, voted 135-24 on Thursday for a new version stripped of the provision. Meanwhile, some experts have raised First Amendment concerns over the legislature’s punitive move.
House Speaker David Ralston, a Republican, made it clear that there was a direct link between the vote and the NRA controversy: « I hope they are better at flying airplanes than timing P. R. announcements, » he said.
Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, who called the Delta controversy an « unbecoming squabble, » said he would sign the broader tax measure.
Lt. Gov. Cagle is widely seen as Deal’s successor. In a statement, he said: « Businesses have every legal right to make their own decisions, but the Republican majority in our state legislature also has every right to govern guided by our principles. »
Delta did not immediately comment on the votes, but the controversy has prompted several states in recent days to lobby the airline to relocate its headquarters.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, tweeted Tuesday: « Hey [Delta] —Virginia is for lovers and airline hubs. You’re welcome here any time. »
The governors of Connecticut and New York, also Democrats, have also pitched their states to the airline, according to The Associated Press, which says the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, and a congressional representative from Ohio « also have reached out to Delta in recent days. »
