Missouri voters reject tax slated for roadway improvements

Voters in Missouri rejected a proposed sales tax designed to fund transportation projects.

Primary elections were held Aug. 5 in the state, and a constitutional amendment that would help maintain Missouri’s roads and bridges was among them.

Amendment 7 would have raised an estimated $5.4 billion over 10 years, according to reports. Opposition to the sales tax was made clear on election day, as voters in only 19 of the states’ 115 counties supported the tax hike, says the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Had voters passed the proposal, Missouri’s sales tax rate would have increased by three-quarters of a penny per dollar.

The Missouri Department of Transportation says money raised through the sales tax would have supplemented federal funding and proceeds it receives from the state’s gas tax, which was last raised in 1992, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“We will continue our focus on safety, maintaining our roads and bridges, and providing outstanding customer service with the resources we have,” said Dave Nichols, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, in a statement made in response to the Amendment 7 election results.