The Tax Foundation says states tax fuel in several ways, including sales taxes, per-gallon excise taxes collected at the pump, taxes imposed on wholesalers (which are passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices), and a variety of operational taxes, such as underground storage tank fees, that are often charged to the retailer. To that end, they added up all different taxes & fees to calculate a total tax rate on gas for each state – see interactive map below.
The gas tax is meant to function as a user fee charging drivers to fund the construction and maintenance of the roads they use. User fees attribute the costs of government services to those who use them, avoiding charging people taxes for things they do not want or use.
Click here to read the full report at the Tax Foundation.
