Georgia House threatens to revoke tax break for Delta Airlines following criticism of election reform law

Facing threats of boycotts and immense pressure from leftist activists, a growing number of major corporations have moved to publicly criticize a new election reform law recently passed in Georgia, as well as others being considered elsewhere across the nation.

But wading into the partisan political arena comes with substantial risk, and that was made clear this week when Georgia Republicans turned the tables back on one “woke” company by moving to revoke a key tax break that saves the business more than $30 million each year, according to reports.

“Woke” corps wade into election law debate

According to the Washington Examiner, the move came in response to criticism of the Peach State’s new election law from the CEO of the Atlanta-based Delta Airlines, who condemned the reforms as “unacceptable.” NBC News reports that the sentiment was shared in a similar statement from the head of Coca-Cola, also headquartered in Georgia’s capital.

In response to the sharp criticisms from Coke and Delta, Georgia House Republicans set about looking for ways to hit those companies where it will hurt them the most: their revenue streams.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), on the last day of the legislative session, GOP lawmakers in the state House passed an amendment to a tax bill that sought to strip Delta Airlines of a lucrative tax break on jet fuel.

“Don’t feed a dog that bites your hand”

In a blow to state House Republicans, the Georgia Senate adjourned this week without considering the amendment, meaning Delta will keep its tax break for now.

Still, numerous members of the GOP caucus in Georgia have indicated the measure could come up again in the next session.

“They like our public policy when we’re doing things that benefit them,” Georgia House Speaker David Ralston (R) told the AJC of Delta. “You don’t feed a dog that bites your hand. You got to keep that in mind sometimes.”

Later, Ralston named Delta’s CEO directly and promised to call the executive personally to “find out if he’s going to suspend flights into states that have more restrictive voting rights than we do.”

If you want to join fight, prepare to get hit

Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that nearly 200 major corporations had signed on to a joint statement condemning virtually all election reform laws enacted in Georgia and now in the works in other states, like Texas.

While doing so may have temporarily spared those corporations from the outrage of leftist activists, it merely opened the door for retaliatory measures — including boycotts — from conservative consumers who aren’t so willing to bow to the “woke” mob, as well as GOP-led legislatures.

Indeed, the Georgia House just showed that, if these corporations want to get politically “woke,” they can also go “broke” just as quickly. Is it really worth it?

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