ATLANTA — Drivers should expect to see gas prices increase approximately 30 cents Jan. 11 as the suspension of gas taxes in Georgia comes to an end.

State legislators authorized the suspension of the tax in March through May, and Gov. Brian Kemp has extended the suspension monthly since to help offset inflation and rising gas costs.

The suspended gas tax has saved Georgia consumers at least 29 cents per gallon on gasoline and 32 cents on diesel. The governor’s office estimates that consumers have saved roughly $1.7 billion at the pump since the state first suspended the gas tax in March 2022.

The Georgia Department of Revenue announced an increase in the tax for 2023 to 31 cents for gasoline and 35 cents for diesel, scheduled to take effect Jan. 11.

According to the Transportation Funding Act of 2015, the DOR is determine the excise tax based on a calculation of the average miles per gallon of all new vehicles registered in the state and the annual percentage of increase or decrease in highway construction costs as measured by the Construction Price Index.

As of Jan. 10, the average cost of regular grade gas in Georgia, per AAA, is $2.80, compared to the national average of $3.27. Premium gas in Georgia is approximately $3.57 per gallon while the national average sits at $4.01.

The gas tax funds transportation projects in the state; however, the governor’s office said funding for transportation projects will not be affected by the nine-month tax suspension as the state plans to use its $6 billion budget surplus from Fiscal Year 2022 to recoup the estimated $1.7 billion in revenue losses.