GEORGIA REPUBLICANS VOW TO KILL AIRLINE TAX CUT BILL AFTER DELTA ENDS NRA DISCOUNT
March 13, 2018
On Monday, February 26, 2018, Georgia’s Lieutenant Governor, Casey Cagle, threatened to kill a proposed lucrative tax cut for Delta Air Lines after the company eliminated a discounted fare program for the National Rifle Association (NRA) over the weekend. Cagle emphasized this proposed action on Twitter the same day at 2:02 PM: “I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.” The showdown between one of Georgia’s most powerful politicians and one of the state’s largest employers was the latest conflict in a national debate around guns after the deadly school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School in Parkland, Florida, earlier this month.
Following Cagle’s tweet, other Republicans in the State Legislature pulled back their support for the bill, which would grant a $50 million sales tax exemption on jet fuel, primarily benefiting Delta. In response, the airline, which had come under growing pressure from its customers and others to cut ties with the gun group, said its decision “reflects the airline’s neutral status in the current national debate over gun control amid recent school shootings.”
This is not the first time Delta has attempted to remove itself from involvement in political issues. The airline noted that it withdrew financial support of a New York production of “Julius Caesar” last summer because it depicted the assassination of a Trump-like Roman ruler.
In the days after the shooting massacre in Parkland, Florida, more than a dozen companies, including MetLife Insurance, Symantec and Enterprise, cut ties with the NRA. The companies had been threatened with boycotts over deals and discounts they had offered to the gun group’s members.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com, 202-659-6622) or Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com, 202-659-6665).
Share This Post
Authors
