Chuckanut
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
My state of Washington is going to try out a voluntary mileage based road tax system in a few years. There are a lot of issues regarding things like privacy, out of state travel, the amount of the tax, etc that are still unsettled. I'll start with this article on the WA proposal.
Note: The increased use of EVs on our roads has brought the issue of how to pay for road building and maintenance to the forefront. Since it's not only an EV issue I suggest this separate topic assuming the MODs have no objections.
https://www.king5.com/article/news/...stem/281-ee1ce24f-5ea4-4785-86c5-c87a3a267769
https://wsac.org/road-usage-charge-hb-1832/
Note: The increased use of EVs on our roads has brought the issue of how to pay for road building and maintenance to the forefront. Since it's not only an EV issue I suggest this separate topic assuming the MODs have no objections.
https://www.king5.com/article/news/...stem/281-ee1ce24f-5ea4-4785-86c5-c87a3a267769
OLYMPIA, Wash. — A House proposal that would transition Washington state's gas tax held a public hearing on Tuesday in Olympia.
House Bill 1832 would establish a voluntary road usage charge program, which places a 2.5-cent per mile fee on motor vehicle usage of public roadways in the state.
Under the bill, drivers could voluntarily participate starting July 1, 2025.
From the WA State Association of CountiesElectric car owners who participate would not have to pay fees associated with electric vehicles, fees that can reach $275 a year.
Participants would receive tax credits for gas taxes paid throughout the year.
The system would become mandatory for all drivers on Jan. 1, 2030.
"It’s unpopular, frankly on both sides of the aisle," said Sen. John Braun, R-Lewis County. "It’s the wrong answer to a real problem.”
Braun said he supports using sales taxes generated from the sale of cars to pay for roads instead of charging drivers by the mile.
Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, said he knows there are "strong" opinions about how the state should pay for roads.
https://wsac.org/road-usage-charge-hb-1832/
Background
A Road Usage Charge (RUC) is a per-mile charge drivers would pay for the use of the roads, as opposed to paying a tax per gallon of gas.
For years, vehicle fuel economy has been improving, and electric vehicles are becoming more common. While this is great news for the reduction of harmful emissions and air pollution, these advances have also created an unsustainable trajectory for funding our transportation system. Much of the revenue our transportation system depends on is generated by the gas tax. Higher vehicle fuel efficiency and vehicles that do not rely on gas results in decreased tax collection and diminishes our ability to keep transportation infrastructure in good repair. Taxing fuel is no longer a reliable, equitable source of funding and we need to find a better alternative for the long term.
Recognizing this revenue challenge, in 2012 the Legislature directed the Transportation Commission (Commission), in close cooperation with the Department of Transportation and with guidance from a multi-stakeholder steering committee, to conduct an assessment of a RUC and determine its feasibility. In their 2020 final report, the Commission determined that a RUC is not only feasible but would out-produce the gas tax in terms of revenue as cars become more fuel efficient. The final report also provided information on the legal, fiscal, operational, and policy implications of a RUC and offered recommendations on how it could be implemented in Washington.
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