Lawmakers consider cutting income tax for higher fuel taxes

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Leaders of the Mississippi House of Representatives are considering a plan to reduce income taxes in exchange for higher fuel taxes to raise money for roads and bridges.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Charles Busby, a Pascagoula Republican, says the plan could phase out Mississippi's 4 percent income tax bracket, which applies to yearly incomes between $5,001 and $10,000. In exchange, Busby says lawmakers would impose an additional 12-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline and 15-cent tax on diesel, phasing it in over four years as the income tax is phased out.