11/20/08-A statewide study group is looking into ways to generate money for road and bridge work.
The 21st Century Transportation Committee, a 24-member panel of elected and appointed officials created by leaders of the state’s House and Senate to recommend new revenue sources for consideration during the 2009 regular session, meets to discuss funding for roads.
One funding proposal would charge drivers a fee on vehicle miles traveled each year.
The panel is expected to finalize recommendations next month on funding options to offer state lawmakers. The recommendations can be considered during the regular session that starts Jan. 28.
Other ideas drawing consideration to fund transportation include increasing the high-use tax from 3 percent to 4 percent on vehicle purchases. Also on the table are higher vehicle registration fees and adding tolls to Interstates 77 and 95.
The vehicle miles-traveled fee would charge drivers a quarter-cent to a half-cent per mile for passenger vehicle travel. The rate for large vehicles would be higher.
The tax would be assessed by checking vehicle odometers at annual inspections. It is estimated that the new fee would raise about $330 million annually.

8/25/08-A statewide study group is looking into ways to generate money for road and bridge work.
The 21st Century Transportation Committee, a 24-member panel of elected and appointed officials created by leaders of the state’s House and Senate to recommend new revenue sources for consideration during the 2009 regular session, meets once each month in Raleigh to discuss funding.
Chairman Brad Wilson said during a meeting Aug. 20 that all options for funding remain on the table, including toll roads, an increase in the state fuel tax, and a possible tax on vehicle miles traveled.
“Everything is certainly on the table,” Canaan Huie, finance counsel for the North Carolina House, told Land Line.
Ideas being floated by committee members to fund transportation include uncapping a portion of the state fuel tax that state lawmakers capped during the previous session.
Huie said the committee is also discussing a tax on vehicle miles traveled as an eventual replacement for fuel taxes.
Committee members are also discussing the possibility of tolls on Interstate 95, an increase in vehicle registration fees, and the possibility of issuing general obligation bonds to pay for specific transportation projects.
“These were up for discussion,” Huie said. “There were no concrete proposals at this time.”
Other ideas are to give local governments the option of a sales tax increase for transportation needs and plan a major state bond issue for road, bridge and other projects.