Q&A with Missouri's new state revenue chief, Wayne Wallingford

Wayne Wallingford's window on the world from his sixth-floor office in the Truman Building in Jefferson City, Missouri, is a less than five-minute walk from the State Capitol, where the Cape Girardeau resident spent more than a decade as a state lawmaker.

The Southeast Missourian caught up with Wallingford, in his 18th business day as Missouri's new director of the Department of Revenue, for some questions and answers.

When you were appointed by Gov. Mike Parson, you said the job of DOR director was a "perfect fit" for you. Do you stand by that assessment?

There's no question. I've been able to use the relationships I've built in the House and Senate to get some things accomplished. I know the legislative process and sat on the Appropriations Committee, and that experience, I'm finding, is a huge advantage in this role. Anecdotally, a week ago I was in a meeting with a state representative who brought me an issue from a constituent. I sent it to the appropriate division of DOR and it was resolved the same day -- so I think we're off to a good start.

Are you noticing much of a difference thus far being in the governor's Cabinet as an administrator rather than as a legislator?

The General Assembly invokes legislation and we enforce it. The mindset is basically the same, though; it's customer service. In my background in business, in the fast-food industry, serving the customer is paramount. The same thing is true at DOR. The customers are Missouri residents.

You were asked at your introductory press conference on Dec. 29 if you anticipated supporting action to raise license fees. Now that you've settled into DOR, what reply would you give now?

Fees were already legislated to rise, and I can't do anything about that. I took the question as meaning will they continue to go up. Going forward, I'd like to put in efficiencies in place for our 173 license bureaus statewide where the fees don't go any higher, because let's leave money in people's pockets. My goal will be to try to keep the fees stable but, in the end, legislators make those decisions. I want to collect what the legislators tell me to collect.

You supported Senate Bill 262 last year in the Missouri House, which implemented a graduated hike in the state's gasoline tax until mid-2025. Because of rising prices at the pump, at least four lawmakers have introduced bills in the current session to repeal the tax -- which would cut into the revenue DOR collects. What are your thoughts about any repeal effort?

Repealing the tax would be short-sighted and would have a real bad effect on public safety, in my opinion. Our job in Jefferson City is providing a safe place for Missourians to live and work. If we can't take care of the infrastructure, it would be disastrous. The gas tax had not increased since 1996. Most workers have gotten at least one raise in that time. People are getting better mileage these days with some turning to electric vehicles. Everyone wants safe roads. There's an economic development piece to this too. If a business sends out a truck and the vehicle comes back with split tires and wheel alignment issues because of unrepaired potholes, then out-of-state firms might wonder why they should move to our state. No one likes taxes, particularly Republicans, yet we're entrusted with the public's safety.

What are your thoughts about the rapid rate of inflation, which effectively means more money for your department?

The governor, in his State of the State message last week, called for a 5.5% wage increase for state workers. That's good, but inflation in December was approximately 7%. When a person's income goes up, they can be pushed into a new tax bracket and could end up with higher taxes -- which can affect take-home pay. Gas prices are up 49% in the last year. Food, transportation, you name it, everything's gone up.

What do you want Missourians to know about the Department of Revenue?

Real ID will become effective in Missouri on May 3, 2023. At present, we're seeing 33% to 35% of state residents who walk into a license bureau office going for the Real ID.

Also, on the department's website, www.dor.mo.gov, we have a chat box called DORA, which is an acronym meaning "Department of Revenue Answers." It's a 24/7 virtual assistant and 38% of the user sessions have occurred during non-business hours. DORA has been able to answer, since its original implementation, over 94% of all inquiries.