Fuel Tax Transparency Bill

Fuel Tax Transparency Bill

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. It's no secret that Washington state has one of the highest gas taxes in the nation, but do you know how much you pay in taxes when filling up your tank?

State Representative Cary Condotta is proposing a bill that would spell it out ... in plain language ... in plain sight ...

CARY CONDOTTA ... "And that requires the state to put a sticker on every gas pump in the state, telling you how much tax you're actually paying. Because folks don't realize the extent of the tax, and I also didn't realize until recently that diesel is taxed at a higher rate than regular fuel."

The Wenatchee Republican says if we get this bill through the legislative process, there will be some sticker shock, especially for farmers and ranchers ...

CARY CONDOTTA ... "You know, when you pay $2.75 for diesel when you fill up your truck, .75 cents of that is tax. And even regular fuel, when you buy 20 gallons, you're spending about 13 bucks in taxes for every fill-up. So, we just want to make that visible to folks so they realize what they're really paying for gas."

He says other states already do this and with transparency comes accountability. Our government would be held more accountable if the citizens in this state are more knowledgeable of the taxes they're paying.

Condotta introduced House Bill 2180 Thursday, that would require the State Department of Agriculture to produce the stickers that would display the federal and state tax rates, in cents per gallon, for each type of fuel.

Washington state's current gas tax is .49 cents per gallon, second highest behind only Pennsylvania. The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon, 22.4 for diesel.

The bill has 20 co-sponsors and has not yet been referred to a committee.

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