Haley: Forget Gas-Tax Hike

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is suffering from an extreme cash-flow problem, but Gov. Nikki Haley has said she opposes raising the state gasoline tax as a solution.

SCDOT had been studying a variety of ways to increase revenues, including a gas tax hike.

“I’m not looking at a gas tax right now,” Haley told the State newspaper. “What I’m looking at is management of the DOT and what they are doing on the inside to fix their own problems before they look at any more revenue.’’

The agency has revealed in recent months difficulty paying bills, including those of contractors. The federal government advanced $52 million to help ease the crunch, the paper said.

South Carolina’s gas tax was last increased in 1987 and currently stands at 16 cents per gallon.

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Transportation industry South Carolina
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