Photo by JosephLeonardo

D.C. drivers, get ready to start getting all of your gasoline from Virginia stations!

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has proposed getting rid of the commonwealth’s gas tax and instead increasing the sales tax as a means to pay for a $3.1 billion transportation plan. According to the Post, his plan would also increase the fees for registering a vehicle and add a $100 charge for people who drive cars that use alternative fuels.

The commonwealth’s gas tax currently stands at 17.5 cents per gallon. Under McDonnell’s plan, drivers using diesel fuel would still have to pay the tax, and all drivers would still be on the hook for the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal gas tax. Supporters of the idea say that scrapping the gas tax makes sense, as increased fuel efficiency and alternative-fuel vehicles have led to decreases in annual revenues from the tax.

Still, the overall plan has opponents from across the spectrum. Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist doesn’t like the idea of raising the sales tax, and neither does liberal Slate columnist Matt Yglesias.

If McDonnell gets his way, Virginia would become the first state in the nation to do away with its gas tax.