The Mississippi House is backing away from a proposal for a statewide election on increasing gasoline and diesel fuel taxes. The idea was to generate more money for improvements to state highways and local roads. House Bill 1364 died Wednesday when the House did not vote on it before a deadline. Mississippi’s motor fuel tax has been 18.4 cents a gallon since 1987. Transportation officials say it doesn’t bring in enough money for highway construction and repairs. The bill proposed a statewide election on increasing the gasoline tax by 10 cents a gallon and the diesel fuel tax by 14 cents a gallon. AP)
