I-Team: Mass. Pike Drivers Being Charged Twice
BOSTON (CBS) - If you buy your gas in Massachusetts and pay tolls on the Mass. Turnpike chances are high that the state owes you money. That's because these drivers are essentially being charged twice for road maintenance; once when they drive through the tolls and again when they pay the state gas tax.
Thanks to a little known law these drivers are eligible for a refund on the 24-cent gas tax for every gallon used commuting on the Pike. Depending on how far you drive, this refund could add up to $100 a year.
As you might have guessed, there's a catch. "The problem is the state has made it so cumbersome to actually get that refund that nobody bothers to do it," explains State Representative David Linsky. The Natick Democrat has been driving into Boston for 30 years on the Pike and he has never once applied for the refund.
It requires hours of paperwork with little pay-off. Drivers need to account for each and every trip on the pike, submit all E-ZPass statements, and every gas receipt. "And quite frankly it hasn't been worth the work involved to get the money back," says Representative Linsky.
It seems like most drivers agree. Of the $340 million collected in tolls on the pike in fiscal year 2014, the I-Team has learned only four people received the refund for a total of just $518.
"Is that fair?" Mary Connaughton of the Pioneer Institute was a former Turnpike Authority Board Member. And even as a trained accountant she finds the refund process daunting, "it comes down to a question of basic equity. Is it right to do this? Shouldn't the toll payer simply be paying for the tolls on the turnpike… rather than subsidizing the rest of the state at the same time?"
We asked the Department of Revenue about the lack of drivers applying for the refunds. In a statement they said, "This program was put in place by the legislature and DOR would like to see all eligible taxpayers benefit. It makes the most sense for taxpayers when gas prices decline as they have recently."
Representative Linsky is calling on DOR and MassDOT to come up with a new, more simple plan this year, "we have it all on computer now. They know how many miles we drive on the Pike. They know when because everybody uses fast lane [E-ZPass]. There should be an automatic way to get this money back."
Until that solution is found Mass. Pike drivers might want to start holding onto those receipts.
The DOR guide to the refund is here. http://www.mass.gov/dor/individuals/taxpayer-help-and-resources/tax-guides/turnpike-refund-guide.html
For the refund form click here: http://www.mass.gov/dor/docs/dor/forms/miscform/pdfs/gt-9t-b.pdf
Send tips for the I-Team to iteam@cbsboston.com or call 617-779 TIPS
