Posted on 01/02/2015 6:12:26 AM PST by thackney
Despite tumbling gas prices, North Carolina's tax on gasoline went up starting Thursday.
State leaders still said there won't be enough money in the coffers to cover the transportation projects statewide.
Fabian Escoto fills up his tank about once a week and word that the gas tax is increasing didn’t rattle him too much.
“As long as it's not too much, I don't think it's going to affect a whole lot of people,” Escoto said.
North Carolina's tax on a gallon of gas increased by a penny to 37.5 cents – the highest gas tax in the South and one of the highest in the nation.
The tax increase is not because of a new law.
The state sets the tax rate based on gas prices, so this increase was scheduled when gas was more expensive.
However, if gas prices continue to fall, the tax will go back down this summer.
Gas-tax money is the key funding source for transportation projects, but more efficient cars have contributed to a lack of funding and led state leaders to turn to other sources, like the proposed controversial toll lanes on Interstate 77.
Kurt Naas with the group Widen I-77 said it is a poor investment.
“If you don't have the money, then for heaven's sakes, let’s not spend it on a bloated project. Let’s spend it exactly where it's needed,” Naas said.
Gov. Pat McCrory has said this year he will recommend new revenue sources to the 2015 General Assembly.
A number of elected officials Channel 9 contacted said they expect a lot of legwork and research to be done on the transportation funding problem during the upcoming session, though they weren't certain a bill would actually pass.
Do you understand that this is how multitudes of "extra" government spending is justified? It is one item, just an easily understood example, of massive amounts of of "extra" spending justified from a big expense and continually spent on others.
I don’t have a solution to that. Although technologically it’s a trivial question, it poses obvious privacy issues.
The issue applies today to some extent. I’ve lived a couple of places near a state line where the gas was always cheaper on the other side. So we always drove across the border to fill up.
All methods will have some problems. But some have bigger problems than others. We may not agree on what is the biggest problems are. I like simple, and I like less government in my life.
Alternative Fuels will get more taxes as they get a bigger market share. Some locations already do that today.
In at least nine states (Ala., Ark., Colo., Fla., Mo., Okla., Texas, Utah and Wash.), operators of motor vehicles powered by certain alternative fuels are required to pay an annual flat rate fee instead of a sales or excise tax on the fuel, for example by purchasing an annual permit or decal. In five states (Calif., Idaho, Kan. and N.M.), operators of certain alternative fuel vehicles have the option of paying either an annual fee or a tax on the fuel.
http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/taxation-of-alternative-fuels.aspx
More detail by state at the link.
Cheers!
New York 68.3 gasoline 74.8 diesel
Agree.
Seems like despite a Republican majority, they don’t have much of a legislature either. What are they trying to do? Mimic DC?
“State leaders still said there won’t be enough money in the coffers to cover the transportation projects statewide.”
No amount of tax money is enough to satisfy bureaucrats.
They get the representation most of them choose.
If people want a real change in their government, they have to show up for elections and primaries.
Less than 14% of the over 18 NC population voted in their 2014 primary.
http://enr.ncsbe.gov/ElectionResults/?election_dt=05/06/2014
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37000.html
Virginia upped its gas tax a nickel yesterday. It’s still slightly cheaper than MD and DC. but getting closer.
Seems just the demographics islamocommucrats are waiting for.
.Gov thieves still crying poormouth, I see...
I had 50pts (50¢/gal discount) accumulated from shopping a local supermarket chain, so gassing-up 20gals from $2.39/gal down to $1.89/gal was nice today.
True, but conservatives are correct in deploring the gas taxes spent on light-rail boondoggles.
Sure it will.
Quite right.
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