The Advocate » Governor John Bel Edwards established an 18-member panel to study the state’s gas tax as a key source of funding to address Louisiana’s $12.7 billion backlog of surface transportation infrastructure needs. A survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures found the Louisiana state gas tax of 20 cents per gallon is the sixth oldest gas tax in the U.S. after Alaska, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. According to a report by George Mason University, federal transportation funding is expected to continue to decrease in purchasing power because the federal rate of 18.4 cents per gallon has not increased in 22 years.
