KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri's gas tax could get a hike if a proposed bill makes it to Gov. Mike Parson's desk.
In April, a House committee has unanimously endorsed a proposal to increase Missouri's gas tax, sending the measure to the full House.
The plan would raise the gas tax 12.5 cents during the next five years, totaling 29.5 cents per gallon. It would be the first increase since 1996. Right now, Missouri's gas tax of 17 cents a gallon is among the lowest in the nation.
To compare, Kansas' gas tax sits at 24 cents a gallon.
41 Action News spoke with drivers who aren't so fond of this idea.
"I think it’s crazy, we got everything else going on we don’t need this as well," Kansas resident Donna Owens said.
"I don’t like it obviously I would like to pay less for gas than more," Mike Vaia from Overland Park said.
"That’s a lot, that’s a lot and I think if you’re going to raise it a little bit maybe you go a nickel or so and phase it in slowly," Kansas City resident Jesse Juliana said.
Some lawmakers like Rep. Josh Hulbert, a Republican from Smithville, voted for the bill.
"Missouri is the crossroads of the country," Hurlbert previously told 41 Action News in a statement. "Investing in our infrastructure and our failing roads and bridges is the purest and most direct way the legislature can promote economic development in our state. I support this investment and hope the legislature will join me."
Rep. Michael Davis, a Republican does not support the bill. He noted that Missouri voters shot down Proposition D, with over 54% of voters rejecting a proposal to increase the gas tax to 27 cents, in 2018.
"I do not support raising the gas tax," Davis previously told 41 Action News in a statement. "As a candidate, I ran on a platform of opposing tax increases. I pledged to my constituents that I would vote against these proposals when they came before me."
The next step for this proposal is to head to the full House for a vote.
