GA Gas Tax Suspended
What Augusta Drivers Save

On Monday, September 28, 2026, Governor Brian Kemp announced a suspension of Georgia's motor fuel excise tax after declaring a state of emergency tied to global market volatility, per the Augusta Chronicle. The suspension starts at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, September 29, specifically to give retailers time to factor in the adjustment, according to the governor's office.

This is the second suspension this year. Kemp paused the same tax in March, then extended that pause through June 3, 2026. In the governor's words: "Over the past several years, with the help of our partners in the General Assembly, we've been able to give billions of dollars in relief to hardworking Georgians." (Augusta Chronicle, September 28, 2026.)

Georgia's motor fuel excise tax is 33.3 cents per gallon on gasoline and 37.3 cents per gallon on diesel, per the Georgia Department of Revenue as reported by the Augusta Chronicle. That is the tax disappearing from the price you see on the sign.

Here is where prices sat right before the suspension took effect, all reported September 28, 2026:

Diesel is the more painful number right now. Augusta-area diesel averaged $6.03 per gallon on September 28, after spiking to $6.33 earlier in the month, per the Augusta Chronicle. Statewide diesel was running about $6.25 to $6.30, per AAA.

For context on how we got here: Georgia's average is 10 cents higher than last week, 39 cents higher than last month, and $1.31 higher than this time last year, when the state average was about $2.88, per AAA. At $4.19 a gallon, filling a standard 15-gallon tank with regular costs roughly $62.85, per AAA.

Multiply the 33.3-cent rate by your tank. That is your maximum savings per fill-up, assuming the full cut reaches the pump.

• Compact car, 12 gallons: about $4.00 off a fill-up
• Sedan, 15 gallons: about $5.00 off a fill-up
• SUV or truck, 20 gallons: about $6.66 off a fill-up
• Diesel truck, 20 gallons: about $7.46 off a fill-up (37.3-cent diesel rate)

Put it in monthly terms. A driver filling a 15-gallon sedan twice a month saves about $10 over a month, and about $31 across the full 31-day suspension. A 20-gallon SUV filled twice a month saves about $13.30 per month, or roughly $41 across the suspension.

If the full 33.3 cents shows up at Augusta pumps, the metro average of $4.14 per gallon lands around $3.81. That is still well above the $2.88 Georgians paid a year ago, but it is the cheapest this fall has felt.

Augusta sits a little below the state and national averages, and still 30 cents under Georgia's record high of $4.49 from June 2022, per AAA. The suspension pulls the Augusta number closer to $3.80 territory, which would be the lowest local average since spring.

Prices are being squeezed by forces far from Augusta. AAA points to volatility around the Strait of Hormuz and elevated crude oil prices keeping pressure on the pump, with the national average at $4.47 per gallon. The escalation in the Iran conflict has kept overseas shipping lanes uncertain, and AAA says the relief drivers usually get in fall is under threat until those lanes clear, per the Savannah Morning News (savannahnow.com), September 28, 2026.

AAA spokeswoman Montrae Waiters put the household impact plainly on September 28: "Gas prices remain a challenge for Georgia families, especially for those who depend on their vehicles for work, school, and daily activities."

The suspension is a state-level lever against a global problem. It does not change crude prices or shipping lanes. It removes the state's own tax from the equation for a month.

Not necessarily, and probably not by the full 33.3 cents everywhere.

The tax is collected from distributors, not at the register, so the cut flows through the supply chain before it reaches the sign. The governor's office set the 12:01 a.m. start specifically to give retailers time to adjust. Stations that bought fuel at the taxed wholesale price may take days to cycle through inventory, and wholesale prices move on their own schedule regardless of the tax.

Two honest rules for the next week:

• Watch the sign, not the announcement. Prices will move at different speeds by station. Compare stations within a few miles of each other before assuming the cut has landed.
• Don't expect the full 33.3 cents. Retail margins, wholesale costs, and local competition all shape the final number. If your station drops 20 to 25 cents this week, the suspension is doing most of its job.

Diesel drivers get the bigger per-gallon cut: 37.3 cents. For a diesel pickup filling 20 gallons, that is about $7.46 per fill-up. Given Augusta-area diesel averaged $6.03 on September 28, per the Augusta Chronicle, a full pass-through puts it near $5.66.

The executive order goes beyond the pump. It also lets commercial vehicles carry loads above their normal legal limits. The governor's office says bigger payloads mean fewer trips, which should reduce the transportation cost baked into everyday goods like groceries (Augusta Chronicle, September 28, 2026). That effect is harder to measure at the checkout, but it is the part of the order aimed at prices beyond the gas station.

The suspension ends October 29, 2026. Unless it is extended, the 33.3-cent tax returns to every gallon sold in Georgia on October 30.

Expect the sign to jump back up, possibly by the full amount, within days of the expiration. This is worth planning around:

• Fill up before the deadline. A tank bought October 28 is taxed at the suspended rate. A tank bought October 30 is not.
• Watch for an extension. The March suspension was extended once. Nothing about October has been announced, but the precedent exists.
• Winter blends may soften the landing. AAA notes gas prices typically drop 10 to 30 cents in winter months as demand falls and cheaper winter-blend fuel reaches stations, per the Savannah Morning News (savannahnow.com). That seasonal drop could partially offset the tax's return.

The tax cut helps, but driving habits decide how far it goes. AAA's advice from September 28, 2026, paraphrased: shop around for lower prices, combine errands, keep up with vehicle maintenance, and avoid aggressive driving. Properly inflated tires and calmer acceleration are the two cheapest fuel savers there are.

One more local note: prices vary across the metro. Augusta-Aiken averaged $4.14, but individual stations run higher or lower. A two-minute price check on a gas-price app before you commit to a station can save as much as the tax cut on a big fill-up.