Easley Calls for Cap on Gas Tax

From the Charlotte Observer :

Gov. Mike Easley called for a cap on the state gas tax Friday, limiting it to the current 29.9 cents per gallon.

The gas tax can change every six months because a portion is set on recent average wholesale prices. The tax rose a near-record 2.8 cents in January.

The tax is expected to stay the same or dip slightly in July, but state analysts expect it to jump to 31.1 cents in January after a season of near-record pump prices.

The NC gas tax is the second largest in the South behind Florida.

“Nobody ever anticipated,” Easley said in a statement, “that Washington would let gas prices get this high.”

I think thats how he, and many others across the state who had opposed a tax-cap, justified this course of action. State money for roads and contruction will decrease, but gas prices are unbearable. Unfortunately, its not something we can fix locally.

About JW Randolph

Raised on the banks of the Tennessee River, JW's work to create progress in his home state and throughout Appalachia has been featured on the Rachel Maddow Show, The Daily Kos and Grist. He served first as Appalachian Voices’ Legislative Associate and then Tennessee director until leaving to pursue a career in medicine in 2012.