Poll: Increasing Wyoming Gasoline Tax By Ten Cents Per Gallon

A bill to increase the state's tax on gasoline by a dime by 2028 has been drafted and may come before the Wyoming Legislature in 2026 when lawmakers meet in a budget session..

The state's current gasoline tax is 24 cents per gallon. But a draft bill would increase that amount by 10 cents per gallon by 2028.

The proposal would increase the tax ion two five-cent increments, with the first coming next year and the second in 2028. The original measure would have had second increase take effect in 2027, but the legislature's Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs committee this week amended the measure so that the full increase would not take effect until 2028. The committee is slated to revisit the bill in October, and it's possible that the committee could again make changes or could even choose to kill the measure entirely.

State Last Increased Gas Tax In 2013

Supporters of the measure say Wyoming has not increased it's gasoline tax since 2013 when it went up by a dime. Supporters of the increase at that time were able to rally backing from economic development officials, chambers of commerce and other groups from across Wyoming by getting behind the argument that Wyoming Highways were in bad shape and that the increase was needed for improvements and highway safety.

But regular attempts to increase the tax since then have fallen short in the face of  vehement public opposition. Gas taxes tend to be unpopular in a state where people often travel long distances for work and recreation. An attempt to raise the tax by 15 cents per gallon in 2022 went nowhere in the legislature.

That bill would have upped the tax to 39 cents per gallon, or a nickel more than the latest proposal.

This time around supporters point to a projected $400 million shortfall for the Wyoming Department of Transportation. They also point out that aside from Colorado, which has a tax of 22 cents per gallon, all of Wyoming's neighbors have higher gasoline taxes.

So what do you think? Is it time to raise the state's gasoline taxes? Take our poll and give us your opinion!