Tax Day is Every Day: Motorists Spend $198 Million Daily on Gasoline Tax

198 million: the amount of tax that local, state and federal officials will receive today- Tax Day- thanks to gasoline taxes. While many Americans forget about gasoline taxes, they amount to $72 billion a year for local, state and federal coffers, with all of that except $198 million received on days not considered “Tax Day”.

It’s somewhat of a hidden pain, siphoned from motorists every fill up. While the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon has not been increased since 1993, there has been renewed talk of increasing the tax from various politicians in recent years. In addition, motorists must pay local and state tax on gas.

Nowhere in the U.S. is the pain worse than in Pennsylvania- where a total of 78 cents of every gallon are diverted to local, state and federal taxes. The average nationally sees nearly 50 cents per gallon spent on gas taxes, while in Alaska, motorists pay the least on gasoline taxes- 31 cents per gallon.

And it all adds up: the average American will spend $297 on gasoline taxes this year, while households with two vehicles will spend nearly $600. Motorists in Pennsylvania, however, will spend $466 per vehicle this year. Nationally, gas taxes in the Mid-Atlantic states average the highest: 62.5 cents per gallon, while taxes in the South average the lowest: 38.7 cents per gallon.

States with higher than average combined gasoline taxes and the yearly cost of gas taxes: