What is the gas tax refund for Mass Pike drivers, and why is it a "bureaucratic nightmare" to get?

If you buy gas, and use the Mass Pike, you can get money back from Massachusetts. It's a law that almost no one knows about, but cashing in is mentally taxing.

They say, "There's no such thing as a free ride." If you ride the Mass Pike, that's more true than you even know.

Why? Well, it starts in the 1920's when Massachusetts began collecting a gas tax which is now 24 cents per gallon.

Then, in the 1950's, the Mass Turnpike was built and the state started collecting toll money.

Massachusetts drivers taxed twice

That means, if you buy gas and use the Pike you're paying both the gas tax, while also paying tolls. You're being taxed twice and that's not OK.

So, Massachusetts state law says you can get a refund on that gas tax.

For someone who drives about 30 miles per day on the Pike, Monday through Friday, you'll pay about $100 in gas tax per year. But, getting that $100 back is hard. Really hard.

Mary Connaughton is the Director of Government Transparency at the Pioneer Institute in Boston. It's a think tank that conducts research on government policies and suggests how to help fix bad policy.  

"Onerous" refund program

Asked about the gas tax refund program, Connaughton said, "It's a bureaucratic nightmare. I don't know a single person who has gone through this process, because it is so onerous."

How onerous? To get your gas tax money back you have to download form "GT-9T-B" from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue website. You have to provide receipts for the gas you bought and provide E-ZPass receipts for the tolls you paid. Then you answer a series of questions and fill out a "tax refund computation."  There is addition, multiplication and division.

Connaughton is also an accountant and a former Mass Turnpike board member. The refund application was confusing to her. She thinks the Department of Revenue's motivation is clear. "This is just a scheme to keep money in the state's pockets and keep it out of toll payers' pockets," Connaughton said.

Here's another complication: If you ask for a gas tax refund, the state then makes you pay a different tax. It's a 6.25% use tax on the gas you used on the Pike and when gas hits precisely $4.08 a gallon, the state no longer offers a refund because the "use tax" would completely offset any refund. Basically, you'd lose money.

Will anything be done at the State House?

Representative David Linsky, a Democrat from Natick, drives the Pike to Boston every day. "I have never filed my gas tax," Linsky said. "Because it's not worth it quite frankly."

Linsky filed a bill years ago to simplify the process. It went nowhere, but he says he's ready to try again.

"I think in the next legislative session I can do this," Linsky said. "I also think the DOR could probably figure out a few administrative tweaks and be able to do it without legislation."

WBZ reached out to the Department of Revenue to ask about the refund process and ask how many people successfully got a refund last year.

They declined an interview, but we did learn in 2025, out of the millions of people who used the Pike, only 230 got a refund.

If you have a question you'd like us to look into, please email questioneverything@cbsboston.com.