Condotta fuel tax transparency proposal, projects for the 12th District in transportation budget
Consumers will soon know exactly how much fuel tax they are paying when pulling up to the pump.
In the transportation budget signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Jay Inslee is the amendment proposed by Rep. Cary Condotta that requires a sticker to be placed on all fuel pumps displaying current federal and state fuel tax rates.
“Consumers should know what taxes they are paying at the pump. Fuel is one of the few retail products in our state that consumers do not know how much tax they are paying,” said Condotta, R-Wenatchee. “This gives us the transparency we should have when it comes to taxation.”
Consumers in Washington are paying 67.8 cents in tax per gallon of gas, and 71.8 cents in tax for diesel. 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.
“This provides some trust for Washington state taxpayers. They will know how much of their dollar is going toward our transportation infrastructure and what they are actually paying for a gallon of fuel,” Condotta said.
Condotta originally introduced the idea in late March as House Bill 2180. However, it was late in the regular legislative session and faced an uphill battle to make it through the legislative process in such a short timeframe.
During debate on the transportation budget, Condotta offered the bill as an amendment, which was adopted.
The stickers will be administered by Washington State Department of Agriculture employees when they inspect the fuel pumps, making the costs negligible.
The transportation budget also appropriates money for a handful of projects in the 12th District, including:
- Goodwin Bridge in Cashmere;
- intersection improvements at SR 28/Jct US 2 and US 97 to 9th St, in East Wenatchee;
- intersection improvements at SR 150/No-See-Um-Road, in Chelan County;
- improvements to the Woodin Ave. bridge in Chelan; and
- freight rail and track improvements near Coulee City.
The transportation budget passed by a vote of 48-0 in the Senate and 82-14 in the state House of Representatives.
