JEFFERSON CITY – State Rep. Sara Walsh is leading the effort to provide tax relief to Missouri families. For the 2022 legislative session she will sponsor legislation that would repeal the gas tax increase approved by the legislature in 2021. Walsh pre-filed her bill (HB 1594) on the first day of pre-filing for the upcoming session.
“I was opposed to the fuel tax increase because it silenced the voice of the people on an issue where they should have been heard,” said Walsh, R-Ashland. “The legislature moved forward with a plan that increases the tax burden on Missourians who can’t afford it, and I think it’s clear this increase never would have passed if the people had been allowed to vote.”
She added, “I know many of my colleagues agree with me that we need to right this wrong and remove this increased burden placed on Missouri families and businesses. It is never a good time to raise taxes on Missouri families or businesses. It is an outrage that Missourians are being asked to pay more at a time when the state has an $8 billion surplus.”
Walsh’s legislation would completely repeal the gas tax increase that went into effect earlier this year. If it is not repealed, the new law will increase the gas tax by a total of 12.5 cents per gallon by July 2025. Missourians already experienced the first increase in October when the tax went up by 2.5 cents per gallon.
During debate on the bill during the 2021 regular session, Walsh supported an amendment to put the tax increase to a vote of the people. However, the amendment failed and the bill was passed without a provision to allow voters to have a say on the issue.
Walsh said her bill is meant to help the many Missourians who are struggling to make ends meet and cannot afford a tax increase.