Missouri drivers could see an increase in vehicle registration fees if they purchase cars and trucks that are highly fuel efficient.
Missouri Department of Transportation Director Patrick McKenna addressed the Columbia Chamber of Commerce on Thursday in a talk about alternative funding sources for road and bridge projects. The talk came after the failure of Proposition D on the November ballot, which would have raised Missouri’s current fuel tax of 17 cents per gallon by 2.5 cents per year for the next four years.
Proceeds from the higher tax would have gone to the State Road Fund for law enforcement purposes. This in turn would have freed up money now budgeted to the Missouri State Highway Patrol to be used for road maintenance and bridge rehabilitation.
With the failure of Proposition D, the state’s fuel tax, which hasn’t increased since 1996, remains the second-lowest in the country. McKenna said this makes it difficult for the state to maintain its current infrastructure, let alone improve it.
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