A Republican senator from Winchester unveiled an alternative funding plan for transportation to the General Assembly on Thursday that would use bonds and a sales tax on gasoline to fund mass transit and road-building projects.

Sen. Russell Potts, R-Winchester, said his proposal would shift some of the burden to non-Virginians by implementing a 5 percent sales tax on gasoline (on top of the state’s 17-cents-per-gallon gas tax). Gasoline is currently exempt from the state’s sales tax levied on most other goods.

“We can’t afford this luxury for gasoline any longer,” Potts said. “We put gasoline on the same level as other products and let those from out of state help pay for Virginia roads.”

The plan is an alternative to a deal negotiated last month among leading Republican lawmakers that relied on $250 million a year out of the state’s general fund, something that upset many members of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, including chairman John Chichester, R-Fredericksburg, and Potts.

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The Senate Finance Committee passed Potts’ proposal and killed the Republican plan on Thursday evening.

Legislation in the House to implement the Republican proposal sailed through a committee on Wednesday and is awaiting a floor vote.

House Republicans were panning the Potts proposal even before he introduced it.

“That would be the worst kind of tax increase we could have,” said Del. Vincent Callahan, R-McLean.

Under the GOP accord, the state would issue $2 billion in bonds, dedicate $556 million in surplus funds and increase the vehicle registration fee, diesel fuel tax and penalties for bad drivers to fund transportation projects statewide. Northern Virginia would be able to raise $400 to $450 million a year if every locality approved a series of tax and fee increases under either plan.

Sen. Thomas Norment, R-James City, warned the committee that killing the GOP accord this year would mean not only no transportation funding this year, but possibly nothing for years to come.