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It looks like we're going to have even higher gas prices; the Senate has passed the change in gas tax.
RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina gasoline taxes wouldn't go down next month as expected in a bill one step closer to Gov. Beverly Perdue's desk.
The House Finance Committee voted Wednesday to replace the current gasoline tax limit at 29.9 cents per gallon with a minimum rate of the same amount through mid-2011.
Without the change, the tax was expected to fall to 28 cents July 1. The tax is adjusted twice a year based on wholesale prices.
Legislative analysts say the tax would go up to 30.4 cents in January if the bill becomes law. Democratic Rep. Nelson Cole says the change would generate $68 million for road-building.
The measure now heads to the full House. It's already been approved by the Senate.
For a variety of reasons, high gas taxes are a good thing, relative to other taxes.
The people who burn the most gas should bear the cost of maintaning the roads, for one.
Gas taxes put the burden on anyone who buys gas in NC, not just its residents, two.
And gas taxes encourage alternatives to gasoline, if nothing else.
The problem in my view comes with all these little nick-nack taxes NC has.
The problem in my view comes with all these little nick-nack taxes NC has.
The electrons used to post this message are taxed, the rain that falls on my roof and driveway are taxed, the signal flowing into my cable box are taxed, the wires connected to my phone are taxed, the wires that don't exist for my cell phone are taxed, so why not the gas in my tank.
This is NC, that state that has never seen a fee, fine, or tax that has not been embraced, and that was before the budget was tanking.
Then why do I drive over potholes and bad patch-jobs everyday? If they are taking my tax dollars to improve the roads, then the roads should be better than they are. To now come along and say the current maximum will be the new minimum, that means they want to tax me even more. So how high does the tax have to go before we aren't driving over potholes and bad patches? It seems to me there is a huge misappropriation of funds going on, and we aren't being told exactly where our money is going. If I saw my tax dollars at work, I wouldn't complain, but I'm not seeing my tax dollars at work. It sounds to me the current economic situation is being used to justify taxing people to death, but if we don't have jobs, we can't pay the taxes. So the answer is to raise taxes even more? I don't understand that. Especially when you see that NC has the largest gas tax in the southeast.
though there are bad areas (95 right after roanoke rapids and island creek road in jones county spring to mind) the roads here are tons better than anyother state I've been to(and I've been to all four corners of the US), to the point of excess. sometimes it feels like they start paving at one end, and when they are done they start right back over. It feels like us70 is being paved in Carteret county every year, if not six months.
Originally Posted by senalj
It looks like we're going to have even higher gas prices; the Senate has passed the change in gas tax.
I'm not surprised!
Quote:
Originally Posted by the 7 oh 4
Why lower the gas tax...then Raleigh & Eastern NC would not have smooth roads to ride on.
Such a shame that Charlotte-Mecklenburg pumps more money into NC's economy than any city or county in the state and we are screwed including the rest of Western NC.
Quote:
Originally Posted by macjr82
though there are bad areas (95 right after roanoke rapids and island creek road in jones county spring to mind) the roads here are tons better than anyother state I've been to(and I've been to all four corners of the US), to the point of excess. sometimes it feels like they start paving at one end, and when they are done they start right back over. It feels like us70 is being paved in Carteret county every year, if not six months.
I'm a Marine so I live all over, I'm currently in San Diego, headed to Goldsboro in July, but yes I'm from down east. Havelock too be exact. My wife is from Jones County, by way of Morehead City.
though there are bad areas (95 right after roanoke rapids and island creek road in jones county spring to mind) the roads here are tons better than anyother state I've been to(and I've been to all four corners of the US), to the point of excess. sometimes it feels like they start paving at one end, and when they are done they start right back over. It feels like us70 is being paved in Carteret county every year, if not six months.
I'd take worse roads for lower taxes.
I live in Durham and just about every road here has either bad patch jobs are potholes. The potholes have to get pretty big before they get the bad patch jobs. There are even roads I've driven in Raleigh that have potholes and bad patch jobs, so I must not be driving the right roads to see my tax dollars at work.
There are even roads I've driven in Raleigh that have potholes and bad patch jobs, so I must not be driving the right roads to see my tax dollars at work.
Go to the beach. I'm joking. I can see your concern. Still, I've driven roads in other states where the potholes are big enough to blow your tires out. NC as a whole, has better roads than any place I've been. I've been to every major area (and alot of not so major areas) of NC with the exception of Asheville, so my experience isn't limited to down east.
Last edited by macjr82; 06-04-2009 at 12:28 PM..
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I'm joking. I can see your concern. Still, I've driven roads in other states where the potholes are big enough to blow your tires out. NC as a whole, has better roads than any place I've been. I've been to every major area (and alot of not so major areas) of NC with the exception of Asheville, so my experience isn't limited to down east.
