Gas Taxes Rise in Eight States

NATIONAL REPORT – Gas taxes are on the rise in eight states as of July 1.

Leading the way is Wyoming, which raised its tax by 10 cents per gallon, followed by Connecticut, California, Maryland, Kentucky, Nebraska, Georgia and North Carolina, according to a report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

Conversely, two states – Virginia and Vermont – lowered their gas taxes on July 1.

Ken Orski, publisher of gas industry publication Innovation NewsBriefs, told CNN Money that the new taxes will likely be most noticeable in Maryland and Virginia. As CSNews Online reported, Maryland gas stations located near the Virginia border are concerned they will lose business as consumers cross the border for their gas.

In all other states, "I don’t think the increase is noticeable," Orski told the news outlet.

While many state gas taxes rise, the federal gas tax has remained unchanged since 1993. The U.S. government charges a tax of 18.4 cents per gallon. This causes the federal government to make massive cuts to the in infrastructure spending to fill in the gaps, Carl Davis, senior analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, told the news source.