KANSAS CITY, Mo. – With the average price of a gallon of gas in Kansas and Missouri still at $3.81 everyone is looking for ways to save at the pump.
A new program in Missouri launched October 1 will allow you to get some of the money you spend on gas back.
Missouri’s average gas price nears record high set in 2008
What you are actually applying for is a gas tax refund. But like all taxes, the forms and requirements can be a little tedious. But now thanks to a Missouri woman, there’s an app for that.
Long before gas prices started skyrocketing the past month every gallon of gas went up 2.5 cents on October 1 of last year. But unlike fluctuating gas prices, that tax won’t go down. It will go up 2.5 cents every year through July of 2025, when the tax will be ten cents higher than it is now at 29.5 cents per gallon.
For most Missouri drivers the tax is refundable.
“I felt like most Missourians don’t understand the gas tax. They don’t understand that it’s refundable and they don’t understand the refund period, so I just wanted to create an option for people to get their gas tax back,” Tammi Hilton, founder of the No MO Gas Tax app, said.
If your vehicle is under 26,000 pounds you’ll have 90 days to apply for a refund starting July 1, but there’s a catch. Just like with income tax deductions you have to print and keep your receipts.
Missouri drivers frustrated by skyrocketing gas prices, increased tax
“Once I got an understanding of the bill I thought well the data points that are needed for filing this gas form aren’t too burdensome, but for someone who doesn’t keep track of their gas receipts it might be difficult to keep track of those gas receipts going forward.”
You still need to print the receipt and take a picture, but the app will do the calculations for you. Missouri still needs to finish its electronic filing website before Hilton can try to interface the app to file for refunds.
Right now that app is only available through Apple though she hopes to have it for Android soon.
Missouri estimates the gas tax will generate an extra $400 million annually by the time tax hikes are complete in 2025.