Topline
Georgia Republicans voted to strip Delta Air Lines of a jet fuel tax break worth tens of millions of dollars Wednesday after the company u-turned to unequivocally condemn the state’s widely-criticized voting restrictions, joining a growing list of executives who have criticized the new restrictions amid a debate over boycotting Georgia’s biggest companies.
Georgia’s House voted to repeal a tax break for Delta, the largest private employer in the state (AP … [+] Photo/Rick Bowmer)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Key Facts
Republicans in Georgia’s House of Representatives voted to revoke Delta’s tax break, which is worth tens of millions of dollars a year.
The move was in response to CEO Ed Bastian condemning Georgia’s controversial voting bill, who described it as “unacceptable” and not matching “Delta’s values.”
A number of prominent Georgia-based companies—including Delta, Coca-Cola and Home Depot, which exert a powerful force on Georgia politics— condemned the law after pressure grew from activists to boycott them for not taking stronger stances against the law.
The bill, introduced towards the very end of the legislative session, was not taken up by the Senate before it adjourned and has not become law.
Key Background
Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp (R) signed a bill last week enacting numerous new voting restrictions in the state, part of a broader Republican effort to limit voting access in at least 43 states. The rationale frequently given for such laws is to restore fractured confidence in America’s voting system, though much of this is based on baseless allegations of fraud and election rigging that have still not been substantiated by former President Donald Trump and his allies in the many months of making them. In Georgia, the bill would shorten early voting hours, limit ballot drop boxes and outlaw non-poll workers handing out water or food to waiting voters waiting.
Crucial Quote
Bastian on Wednesday condemned the new voting restrictions in stronger terms, after sending out an initial, less critical statement: “The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections,” Bastian wrote. “This is simply not true. Unfortunately, that excuse is being used in states across the nation that are attempting to pass similar legislation to restrict voting rights.”
Big Number
33,000. With this many employees, Delta is the state’s largest private employer.
Contra
Voting rights activist Stacey Abrams has urged companies not to boycott her home state, arguing that a slowdown of economic activity could harm the very people the boycott is meant to protect. “[Leaving] us behind won’t save us,” Abrams wrote. “So I ask you to bring your business to Georgia and, if you’re already here, stay and fight.”
Further Reading
Atlanta’s Coca-Cola And Delta Join Companies Opposing New Georgia Voting Law (Forbes)
Dozens Of Black Executives Urge Corporate America To Battle Restrictive Voting Laws, Report Says (Forbes)
