The chief executive of Sonoco, the state’s largest home-based company, on Tuesday said the state’s poor roads will stall industrial recruitment and cause existing companies to expand elsewhere.

M. Jack Sanders also told the The State newspaper that he would support raising the gas taxes to pay for repairs.

Sonoco estimates that poor roads cost the global packaging giant up to $5 million annually in increased maintenance to its trucks as well as driving farther to avoid bad South Carolina roads.

About $10 million of the $40 million the company spends in-state on freight is gasoline, the company said.

“The timing is right,” Sanders said of a tax increase, noting that wholesale gas prices are low and should remain so for the next few years.

“I also think it’s fair because people that are using the roads are paying to ensure that they are maintained,” he said, without specifying how much of an increase he supports. “Like anybody else, I don’t want to pay any more taxes, but … we have to do something.”

Bad roads also are a risk to the company’s drivers, Sanders said. “There is a potential safety issue. There are insurance and liability issues as well.”

Sonoco is South Carolina’s largest home-based company with more than $5 billion in sales. It has more than 335 operations in 33 countries, producing packaging for some of the world’s most recognized brands, according to its website. Sonoco said it serves customers in 85 nations.