Proposition D - Increasing the motor fuel tax
Shall Missouri law be amended to fund Missouri state law enforcement by increasing the motor fuel tax by two and one half cents per gallon annually for four years beginning July 1, 2019, exempt Special Olympic, Paralympic, and Olympic prizes from state taxes, and to establish the Emergency State Freight Bottleneck Fund?
If passed, this measure will generate at least $288 million annually to the State Road Fund to provide for the funding of Missouri state law enforcement and $123 million annually to local governments for road construction and maintenance.
A “yes” vote will amend Missouri statutes to fund the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s enforcement and administration of motor vehicle laws and traffic regulations. The source of the funding will be revenue from an increased state tax on motor fuel (including gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, and blended fuel). The current state motor fuel tax rate is seventeen (17) cents per gallon. The amendment will increase the rate as follows:
Nineteen and one-half (19.5) cents per gallon beginning July 1, 2019;
Twenty-two (22) cents per gallon beginning July 1, 2020;
Twenty-four and one-half (24.5) cents per gallon beginning July 1, 2021;
Twenty-seven (27) cents per gallon beginning July 1, 2022.
The amendment will also increase the tax on alternative fuels used for motor vehicles (including compressed natural gas, liquid natural gas, and propane gas). The amendment will increase the rate from seventeen (17) cents to twenty-seven (27) cents per unit equivalent to a gallon of gasoline or diesel beginning January 1, 2026.
The amendment will require the state auditor to audit the state’s use of the revenue generated by these taxes every two years.
Additionally, the amendment will allow a state income tax deduction for the value of any prize or award won in the Olympics, Paralympics, or Special Olympics; and it will create an “Emergency State Freight Bottleneck Fund,” which will be dedicated to financing road improvement projects in the state.
A “no” vote will not amend Missouri statutes to increase the motor fuel tax, exempt certain prizes from state taxes or establish the Emergency State Freight Bottleneck Fund.
If passed, this measure will increase taxes on motor fuel.