Fixing roads

More than $300 million worth of increases to West Virginia’s sales tax, gas tax and DMV fees to help fix roads are likely off the table. Republican House Finance Chairman Del. Eric Nelson said yesterday there wasn’t support to move the legislation forward. The bill that the Senate passed would’ve raised about $316 million annually for roadwork. A 1-cent hike in the current 6-cent sales tax would’ve yielded $200 million. A House committee stripped that from the bill. The bill included about $66.3 million in DMV fee increases, from driver’s licenses to car titles. Broadening and lowering the privilege tax on car purchases would have raised $17 million.