Why is gas cheaper in Missouri and is it worth the drive from southwest Illinois?
If you check GasBuddy.com for gasoline prices in the Midwest, Illinois stands out for having higher average prices than surrounding states, including Missouri.
Here’s one stark difference: Illinois retailers have to charge more than double the motor fuel tax that their competitors in Missouri have to charge.
Missouri charges drivers a motor fuel tax of 19.5 cents per gallon while in Illinois, customers must pay a motor fuel tax of 39.2 cents per gallon.
That’s a difference of 19.7 cents for every gallon. If you buy 12 gallons in Missouri, you can save $2.36 in motor fuel taxes compared to buying gasoline in Illinois.
Is it worth taking a trip to St. Louis just to buy gas? Perhaps not yet, but stay tuned as gas prices have been on the rise in wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The AAA motor club on Monday reported the average gas price in the metro-east ranged from $4.06 a gallon in Madison County to $4.16 a gallon in St. Clair County. In St. Louis County, the average was $3.65 a gallon and $3.61 in St. Charles County.
Illinois doubled the motor fuel tax per gallon from 19 cents to 38 cents a gallon in 2019 and has since increased it again to 39.2 cents a gallon. However, Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently proposed to freeze the tax at 39.2 cents per gallon. It was scheduled to increase to 41.4 cents a gallon in July.
In Missouri, the motor fuel tax increased from 17 cents a gallon to 19.5 cents per gallon last year, with plans to raise it 2.5 cents a year until it tops out at 29.5 cents a gallon in 2025, according to a report by St. Louis Public Radio.
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 6:30 AM.
