Gas Tax Increase Will Take Effect July 1st

Drivers statewide will be paying two cents more every year for the next six years. While they may be familiar with the change that is coming at the gas pumps, some may not know that there is also a new fee for people who are buying a new vehicle.

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, any automobile bought or leased in the state after June 30th will incur an infrastructure maintenance fee.

“The sales tax is now going to be referred to as the infrastructure maintenance fee. The percentage has not changed. Right now, it’s five percent with a $300 cap on sales tax. The infrastructure maintenance fee is five percent with a 500 dollar cap on the fee,” said SCDMV’s Director of Vehicle Service Larry Murray.

Vendors like Bill McDaniels of McDaniels Automotive Group say the increase of $200 is not such a bad thing.

“With it going up to $500 and all of that money is going directly to the Department of Transportation to help fix our roads and help make our driving more safe, and maybe save a whole lot of lives and a whole lot of damages to our cars, I’m all for a couple of hundred dollars,” McDaniels said.

Some drivers who paid their registration fees today say they are happy to beat the hike but they wouldn’t mind paying a little extra to repair our roads.

“You’ve got to pay to drive and that’s all apart of it. Property tax, everything. You live in this country you’re gonna pay property so I’m happy,” said John Razz of Columbia.

“I think it’s a good thing because the roads need to be fixed. I really do because I have messed up a few of our cars on the roads so I really do think this is a good thing,” said Benjamin Harden of Columbia.