A top Republican lawmaker in Georgia threatened to scuttle a lucrative tax break for Delta Air Lines after the company said it would stop offering discounted…
A top Republican lawmaker in Georgia threatened to scuttle a lucrative tax break for Delta Air Lines after the company said it would stop offering discounted fares to National Rifle Association members following the mass shooting at a Florida high school.
At stake for the Atlanta-based Delta is legislation that would provide a $50 million tax exemption on jet fuel that would largely benefit the airline.
“I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA,” Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who has an A+ NRA rating, wrote on Twitter Monday. “Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.”
While Republicans praised Cagle for his ultimatum, many Democrats and the ACLU slammed him for using the government to browbeat the state’s largest employer.
State Sen. Steven Hanson said the GOP used to be in favor of tax cuts for business until the NRA came into play.
“Republican fear of the NRA is evidently more important than the Georgia business climate, jobs, or the well-being of Georgia citizens,” Henson said, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Andrea Young, the executive director of the ACLU of Georgia, chastised Cagle and other Republican lawmakers for using the government to punish a company for its business decisions.
“Politicians should not use taxpayer dollars to impose ideological litmus tests and punish organizations that express views that politicians dislike,” the group said in a statement.
Delta has joined with a number of companies, including United Airlines, Best Western, Enterprise, Hertz and MetLife ending discounts or other perks for NRA members in the aftermath of 17 people being gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS by a former student armed with an AR-15 assault rifle.
In a statement announcing its intention to discontinue the discounts, Delta said it was trying to remain neutral in the gun control debate that has surged after the Valentine’s Day slaughter.
“Out of respect for our customers and employees on both sides, Delta has taken this action to refrain from entering this debate and focus on its business. Delta continues to support the 2nd Amendment,” the company said in a statement on Saturday.
Student survivors of Stoneman Douglas have injected new energy into the gun control debate, marching on the Florida capital to confront lawmakers and launching the #NeverAgain movement to crack down on gun violence and protest lawmakers who received NRA donations.
A #BoycottNRA campaign is also encouraging businesses across the country to cut their ties with the powerful gun lobby group.
Many advocates are also pushing tech titans like Google, Apple and Amazon to stop streaming NRA-produced videos.
