No wonder gas prices are high...

From the Daily Ask SAM Column:

Q. What is the amount of tax on gas in North Carolina. How does it compare to the other states? Are we in the upper third or lower third or what? - S.W.

A. The current state tax on gasoline is 27.1 cents a gallon. The federal tax on gasoline is 18.4 cents a gallon.

The state fuel tax is recalculated twice a year, in January and July.

Taxes charged on gasoline in other states range from 7.5 cents in Georgia to 31 cents in Rhode Island, according to information compiled by the Federation of Tax Administrators (www.taxadmin.org).

These figures were compiled in January.