Washington pay-per-mile tax faces vote later this year by commission

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The Washington Transportation Commission is expected to vote later this year on a proposal to replace the gas tax with a pay-per-mile system.

The vote takes place in December, two months after the commission receives a report from a panel that has studied the new type of tax. Any recommendation voted on by the commission will then be passed on to the Legislature for consideration.

Senator Rebecca Saldana, vice chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said the state is considering a pay-per-mile charge because she says more fuel-efficient vehicles have eroded the state’s ability to rely long term on the gas tax for transportation needs.

Commission chairman Jerry Litt expects many state residents would pay more under a pay-per-mile tax, which the state calls a “road usage charge.” A rate of 2.4 cents per mile was set for a yearlong pilot project so participants could figure out how much they would have to pay compared to the state portion of the gas tax, which is 49.5 cents per gallon.

A consulting group presented its findings to the transportation commission on the project that involved 2,000 volunteers who reported their mileage, which enabled them to determine if they paid more or less than under the gas tax. Those surveyed also expressed concern that a tax based on the distance people drive would disproportionately affect rural motorists and lower-income householders who live farther away from work because of housing prices.

Saldana said if the Legislature supports a pay-per-mile system, it would have to be phased in over 10 to 25 years because the state has sold bonds for transportation projects based on revenue from the gas tax, and those bonds would have to paid off before the state replaced the gas tax completely with a pay-per-mile system. (AP, Olympian)

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