Gas Tax Increases By 7 Cents In Washington State

With the additional federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, the total gas tax per gallon amounts to 62.9 cents in Washington.

The increase is the first of two that are part of a $16 billion revenue package approved by the Legislature this year.

In the summer of 2016, Washington’s gas tax will tick up by another 4.9 cents per gallon, raising the state’s total tax to 49.4 cents; this would make it the second most premium gas tax in America behind Pennsylvania.

Republican Senator Curtis King, of Yakima, acknowledged that “Nobody likes to have a tax increase”. But the fact of the matter is that maintenance & preservation haven’t been as good as they need to be.

Washington isn’t the only state which has increased gas taxes in 2015.

This goes with what appears to become a national trend, as multiple states have already increased their gas taxes this year.

It was reported that $ 8.8 billion of the extra money is supposed to be spent on local and road projects, $ 1 billion on non-highway projects like transit, pedestrian walkways and bike paths and around $1.4 billion will be spent on preservation and maintenance. House Transportation Committee Chairwoman Judy Clibborn, a Democrat from Mercer Island, said that while the projects will take years, ultimately drivers will see the benefits.

During 2015, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures report, Utah, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Idaho, and Georgia also increased the state gas tax. This is mostly because revenue has been small due to gas prices going down, with the current $2.67 national average price per gallon being three quarters of a dollar cheaper than in July 2014.

Kentucky, as well as North Carolina modified the structure of the gas tax as to limit the decrease of revenues.

Prices usually fluctuate, so it is possible that Washington drivers might not even feel the increased gas tax.

“By the time the fuel arrives at the gas station, the actual tax has been paid on it, however the retailers and distributors factor it into their price”, said Tony Sermonti, with the state Department of Licensing, which collects the tax.