Mississippi lawmakers weigh in on possibility of suspending state gas tax

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - Mississippi leaders are discussing whether or not to suspend the state’s gas tax.

Some of Mississippi’s surrounding states, like Georgia, suspended gas taxes as inflation climbs.

Now, Mississippi lawmakers are weighing in on the possibility of that happening in the Magnolia State.

State Sen. Joey Fillingane says although there have been some discussions, he doesn’t think Mississippi will suspend its gas tax. He says that’s because Mississippi has a small gas tax of 18.5 cents per gallon, and it’s not tagged for inflation.

According to Fillingane, some surrounding states tag the gas tax for inflation, which means as gas prices go up, the overall amount of gas tax grows as well.

“In Mississippi, it doesn’t matter if you’re paying $1, you know, per gallon, or $5 per gallon,” said Fillingane. “The state’s only going to collect 18.5 cents per gallon towards MDOT improvements on roads and bridges... The roads are already in bad disrepair in many instances, so I doubt very seriously you’re going to see a suspension of that 18.5 cents.”

Fillingane says all money collected from the state’s gas tax goes straight to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

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