A hybrid vehicle’s dashboard, including odometer. (KNWN File Photo)
(OLYMPIA, Wash.) — The Washington State Transportation Commission now recommends a 2.5-cent per mile ‘road usage charge’ to offset a loss in revenue from the gas tax.
Such taxes have been used to pay for road and highway construction and maintenance. But the abundance of hybrid and electric vehicles has led to the amount of taxes collected dropping off and leaving a budgetary deficit.
At a Commission meeting on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, the draft recommendations were adopted, though any new tax would have to be approved by state lawmakers.
“The recommendation includes collecting odometer readings whenever feasible,” consultant Travis Dunn said at the meeting. Under the plan, the readings would be collected on an annual basis by the Department of Licensing.
However, other logistical hurdles remain. Including how to tax out-of-state drivers who use Washington roads and how to exempt Washingtonians from miles driven out-of-state.
There are also concerns about privacy, as there have been suggestions to use GPS trackers to monitor the number of miles driven. However, that idea has been largely dismissed.
The soonest any ‘pay per mile’ tax could be implemented is 2027.
