Condotta fuel tax transparency amendment adopted as part of transportation budget
As the state House of Representatives passed the transportation budget in the dark of night on Wednesday, State Rep. Cary Condotta was able to attach an amendment to the spending plan that will shed some light on fuel taxes at the pump.
Condotta introduced House Bill 2180 just three weeks ago, and with less than a month of regular legislative session left, he knew it would be a tough task getting it through the legislative process in such a short timeframe.
“I felt there was strong, bipartisan support for the bill, so I decided to turn it into an amendment and get it included in the transportation budget,” said Condotta, R-Wenatchee. “With taxation, we need transparency. I truly believe most people in our state do not realize how much they are paying at the pump.”
His amendment passed unanimously during the transportation budget debate. It requires the Washington State Department of Agriculture to place a sticker displaying current federal and state fuel tax rates on all fuel pumps when they do their routine fuel pump inspections. The sticker would be placed in a clear and prominent manner, displaying the tax rate, in cents per gallon, for each type of fuel.
“Taxes are shown on other receipts when we purchase things. We should not be treating fuel any differently. If the public is aware of how much they are paying at the pump, it will add an element of accountability along with transparency to our fuel taxes,” said Condotta. “That is important as we move forward and other additional funding sources are discussed to address our transportation needs.”
Washington state’s current gas tax is 49.4 cents per gallon. It is the second highest gas tax in the country behind Pennsylvania. The federal gas tax rate is 18.4 cents per gallon, 22.4 cents per gallon for diesel fuel.
The transportation budget now heads back to the Senate for concurrence before it heads to the governor’s desk for his signature.
