South Carolina, it’s time to raise gas tax so state can be less dependent on federal welfare
There is an old saying, that “God helps those who help themselves.” Perhaps our new governor should take this advice.
He asked the federal government for $5 billion to repair the roads. Right now, for every dollar South Carolina sends to the federal government in taxes, it gets about $7 back in all types of aid. That is a tremendous disparity in aid.
It is time for South Carolina to raise its gas tax by at least 10 cents a gallon, if not more, and use that money to fund road repairs.
It's easy to say we don't want to increase any type of taxes when we are already depending so heavily on federal funds. New Jersey recently raised its gas tax by 25 cents and it is still lower than New York state and others. South Carolina legislators have to realize that nothing comes for free. Someone has to pay for what you get.
I often hear about tourists, as though they are a disease. You can sock it to the tourists with the gas tax by giving a rebate on your personal property tax on cars by calculating miles per year and the cost of buying gas.
Pat Iorlano, Myrtle Beach
This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 7:02 PM with the headline "South Carolina, it’s time to raise gas tax so state can be less dependent on federal welfare."