GA suspends the collection of state motor fuel taxes on regular gas and on-road diesel
Source: GA Farm Bureau
Farmers are seeing some relief from the cost of diesel fuel – both for highway and off-road use – after state and federal executive orders suspended taxes and penalties related to both.
In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order on Sept. 28 suspending collection of state motor fuel taxes on regular gas and on-road diesel until Oct. 29. The order also removed state weight limits on commercial vehicles, allowing truck weights to 95,000 pounds.
Kemp noted in the Sept. 28 executive order “that factors driving these market shifts are inherently unpredictable, and therefore, difficult, if not impossible, for the citizens of our state to budget for, worsening the impact on hard-working Georgians.”
On Oct. 5, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that eased limits on farmers’ use of dyed diesel fuel on public roads and deferred the federal diesel excise tax of 24.4 cents per gallon on dyed diesel through the end of the year and potentially exempt the tax. The U.S. Treasury Department and IRS will release guidance in the coming days on the implementation of this order.
On Oct. 6, Gov. Kemp amended his original state executive order to include waiving state penalties for selling, delivering or using dyed diesel fuel for on-road vehicle use. Kemp also extended the waiver of state fuel taxes on gas and on-road diesel from Oct. 29 until Nov. 5.
"Georgia Farm Bureau appreciates Governor Kemp's first action on September 28 to suspend the state collection of state motor fuel taxes on regular gas and on-road diesel and we commend the governor for his swift action on Oct. 6 following President Trump's executive order to suspend the enforcement of dyed diesel penalties for on-road use," Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall said. "The governor continues to utilize his executive power to deliver relief for farmers and farm families at the fuel pump. We appreciate the hard work and attentiveness of both the president and the governor responding to the needs of the farm community."
Many farmers operate farm equipment in their field using red-dyed diesel, which is exempt from federal and Georgia excise taxes and therefore less expensive than standard diesel. Farmers often buy it in bulk and store it on their farms. Under normal conditions, if farmers use red-dyed diesel in vehicles on public highways they can face penalties.
Georgia’s motor fuel excise tax for gas is 33.3 cents per gallon and 37.3 cents per gallon for regular diesel.
Georgia’s average price for diesel on Oct. 6 was $5.80 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association, down from $6.35 per gallon on Sept. 19.
The president’s action came after an Oct. 1 letter from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) requesting fuel-cost relief for farmers. The federal highway diesel tax at the time of the letter was more than 24 cents per gallon. The AFBF letter noted that 10 states, including Georgia, had taken steps to ease fuel costs.
“We thank President Trump for recognizing that what happens at the fuel pump directly affects what happens on the farm and therefore at dinner tables across America,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in an Oct. 5 statement. “Allowing dyed diesel fuel to be used over-the-road will bring welcome relief for farmers because every cent per gallon matters when you're running a fleet of grain trucks or hauling cattle hundreds of miles.”
Nationally, the average price for diesel was up $2.49 per gallon, from $3.71 per gallon on Oct. 6, 2025, to $6.20 per gallon on Oct. 6, 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
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