Strategy to shore up La's economy with proposed gas tax hike faces opposition

BATON ROUGE - Louisiana drivers currently pay 38.4 cents per gallon at the pump, including 20 cents in state charges and a group led by former state Rep. Erich Ponti wants to change that.Ponti is hoping to see the Legislature gradually raise the state's gas tax to 22 cents per gallon, The Advocate reports.As executive director of the Louisiana Asphalt Pavement Association, Ponti believes an increased gas tax of about $660 million annually would provide the state with much-needed fundin