CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With just a day before bills have to leave their originating chamber, Democrats successfully amended a bill that would have raised gasoline taxes by 3 cents when the price of gas is lower than $2 to a measure that will raise $200 million dedicated to fixing the state’s decaying highways system.
The bill will now also raise the consumer sales and service taxes by 1 percent, reduce the privilege tax on new vehicle purchases to 4 percent, but expand the definition of new vehicles, and raise Department of Motor Vehicle fees.
Some of those hadn’t been touched since the 1970s and 1980s, said amendment sponsor Sen. Bob Plymale, D-Wayne.
Plymale said the bill raises roughly $285 million for road repair…