Some South Carolina legislators are looking for new ways to raise funds for transportation, and are reviewing a novel plan backed by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.
McDonnell’s plan would replace the state’s gas tax with a 0.8% increase in the state’s sales tax dedicated to transportation. The plan was passed by the full Virginia House of Delegates Tuesday, but stalled in the Senate.
South Carolina Rep. Tommy Stringer, chairman of the House GOP Caucus tax study committee, told GreenvilleOnline.com that different revenue streams are being studied to fund needed road repairs.
“We are actively looking at ideas like the Virginia plan,” Stringer told the Greenville paper. “We’re not officially looking at it yet but some of us are talking about it.”
The South Carolina Department of Transportation estimates that the backlog cost to repair roads and bridges is $29 billion over the next 20 years.
