NC gasoline tax rises with new year to 32.5 cents

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Motorists filling up at North Carolina gas pumps are paying a little more in the new year, and not just because of rising fuel prices nationwide.

The state’s gasoline tax rose last weekend by six-tenths of a cent to a record 32.5 cents per gallon. The tax is automatically recalculated twice a year through a formula based in part on the wholesale price of gasoline. The News & Observer of Raleigh first reported the tax increase.

The Legislature had set a cap of 29.9 cents a gallon in 2006, but turned that price into a floor in 2009. That means the rate can’t fall below 29.9 cents. The law setting the floor expires this June.

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