Georgia Senate committee votes to remove tax break that would benefit Delta

A Georgia Senate committee has moved to get rid of a part of a bill that includes a tax break that would benefit Delta Airlines after the airline sought to distance itself from the National Rifle Association (NRA).

The Senate Rules committee on Wednesday voted to remove the $50 million jet fuel tax exemption that was part of a larger tax-cut package, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

The publication reported the full Senate could vote on the measure this week.

{mosads}If the Senate approved the measure, it would go back to the House for approval. The House had previously voted in support of the tax-cut bill including the exemption ahead of Delta’s announcement regarding the NRA.

The move to delete the tax exemption comes after Delta — which is based in Atlanta — joined a growing number of companies that have sought to distance themselves from the NRA since the deadly shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla.

Republican officials in the state earlier this week threatened to block tax legislation that benefits Delta if the airline doesn’t restore its relationship with the NRA.

“I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA,” Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (R), who is running for governor this year, tweeted earlier this week.

“Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday invited Delta to relocate its headquarters to New York. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) also offered up Ohio as an option for Delta to relocate to.