AP Wire

La. gas tax hike sputters in House, shelved

by Melinda Deslatte, Associated Press

A Republican lawmaker has given up on raising Louisiana's gasoline tax, acknowledging he couldn't rally enough votes for passage.

Baton Rouge Rep. Steve Carter announced Wednesday that he won't pursue the tax hike in the remaining days of the legislative session.

Carter said on his Facebook page that he couldn't gather the 70 votes needed in the House for the effort to raise hundreds of millions annually for road and bridge work.

The tax increase couldn't overcome the anti-tax sentiment of the majority-GOP chamber, combined with opposition from the state Republican Party and organizations working to defeat the bill.

Carter originally sought a 17-cent tax hike to raise $500 million yearly. He then proposed a lower tax increase, but still couldn't win needed backing.