A last-ditch effort to rescind North Carolina's newest gas tax, scheduled to begin Sunday, is underway by Republicans in the General Assembly.
State Rep. Stephen LaRoque, who represents portions of Lenoir, Greene and Wayne counties, wrote a letter Wednesday to House Speaker Jim Black asking Black to call a special session to consider the tax.
LaRoque said he has spoken with all Republicans in the state Senate and they have agreed to the session. Several other Republican members of the House also are sending letters to Black, LaRoque said.
The request comes after Gov. Mike Easley turned down a request to reconvene the Legislature to cap the tax at its present level. The new tax, an increase of 2.8 cents per gallon, would be the first of two increases planned for 2006.
The General Assembly can be called into a special session by the governor or by the General Assembly. If 30 state senators and 72 members of the House agree to the session, the House speaker and the lieutenant governor – the presiding senate officer – are constitutionally bound to summon legislators back to Raleigh. Each body requires a three-fifths vote to accomplish the action.
Neither state Rep. William Wainwright nor Sen. Charles Albertson, both Democrats who represent portions of Lenoir County, returned calls seeking comments about reconvening. Albertson, in an earlier interview, said the tax is needed to repair and upgrade the state's roads, and help municipalities with their road projects.
“We have about the most roads of any other state, except Texas, I think,” Albertson said earlier this month. “We're way behind in road maintenance. You know, we used to be known as the good roads state. We still have people who are wanting more roads. It's tough.”
LaRoque said the additional money that would come from the gas tax doesn't mean the state's roads will be any better.
“They've taken over a quarter-billion dollars from the Highway Trust Fund for the last four years,” LaRoque said. “They've raided the trust fund to spend for other projects. That's over $1 billion in four years from highway funds that have into gone the general budget.”
LaRoque admits he doesn't know if the necessary number of Democrats will agree to the session and if they do, whether they will vote to cap the tax.
“Democrats around here will not support it because they like taxes,” he said. “In next session we need to take a look at all our state taxes. Our tax structure dates back to the 1930s and we've been putting bandaids on it for the last 70 years. I filed a bill to look at it last session, but tax-and-spend liberals don't want to take a look.”
To express your opinion on the special session, call:
Rep. William Wainright: (Home) 447-7379; (Raleigh office) 919-733-5995
Rep. Stephen LaRoque: (Home) 523-7700; (Raleigh office) 919-715-3017
Sen. Charles Albertson: (Home) 910-298-4923; (Raleigh office) 919-733-5705
The nationwide average tax on gasoline is 45.9 cents per gallon as of August 2005. A summary of federal and state excise taxes and other taxes collected on gasoline can be found by
clicking here.
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