Should Wash. drivers pay by the mile?
SEATTLE (AP) - Washington state transportation officials are exploring whether to charge drivers by the mile to use state highway and roads.
A steering committee of transportation experts recently concluded it's feasible to move the state away from gasoline taxes to a "pay as you go" road fee system.
Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond says the question now is whether the idea is acceptable for the state and in what form.
The Washington Transportation Commission is expected to ask state lawmakers for money to study further how the idea would work.
Washington and other states are looking for ways to pay for highway maintenance and repair as residents drive less and more fuel-efficient cars are making fewer gas tax dollars available for transportation.
Charging by the mile may be one component of actual "wear and tear" a vehicle puts onto the road system. Â But, other components intuitively seem worthy consideration also. Â For example, if we're going to switch to something closer to a "use-based" fee system, weight of the vehicle and tire preferred tread would be put into the formula. Â No way a Honda Fix with skinny little tires doing 10k miles/yr is going to have the same impact as the 4WD F-150 supercab with studded tires (for the months they are legal) also doing 10k miles. Â Seems unfair the Honda owner should subsidize the dude who chose to go big.
I don't really mind paying a fair share of taxes to build highways, and with the changes in vehicles, it is clear that taxing gas is no longer a fair way to account for road usage.
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However I DO mind paying taxes to support a building full of people who want to study building highways, or a certain bridge. So if we combine the new tax with some sort of reform to the current system, which has spent $300 for a pile of paper that says we need a new bridge, sign me up.
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Otherwise, forget it.
Let Me get this correct. First the Feds mandate that motor vehicles MUST reach a certain Miles per gallon by the year (???). So we get vehicles that do just that. Some. Brought the prices to operate our cars was reduced. Good.
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Now that we pay less and can afford to drive more, the state of Washington wants us to pay for DRIVING MORE?..?
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I missed something! Help, please.
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BS. It's nothing more than a government scam just to get the same amount of cash from taxpayers that they are used to getting, and what for?, to keep the size of the government work force the same size, and continue to give out the same benefits to the employees. They say they are "looking for ways to pay for highway maintenance and repair as residents drive less" etc.... Well, if we are driving LESS, then you should be able to cut down on the maintenance costs, and lay off some workers. And then just "get by" like the rest of us have to.Â
We drive very few miles, a "pay as you go" system would probably save me a couple of $.
Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond needs to be replaced.
So you live in Washington and work in Oregon, do most of your driving in Oregon and then get taxed when most of your driving is in another state. Â How about you taking a vacation down Oregon to San Francisco. You still have the mileage tax when your not even driving in Washington? This stupid idea is not going to work.
Will they get rid of the state and federal portion of the gas tax?
 @B Smizzle Only the state portion. The Feds will still collect the fees through the pump.
Yes they should! Â But not us in Oregon. :-P
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Seriously though, I can't get behind these schemes. Â Firstly, the state will NEVER repeal the gas tax. Â Secondly, the roads are damaged quite a bit by out of state drivers (big semi's, out-of-state commuters, etc) that wouldn't be on the hook for any of the damage like they would buying gas in the state where they're currently driving. Â
When will train X meet train Y? Soon I will be working just to pay to go to work.
Washington drivers? Make them pay by the tailgate, cut-off, and rude driving incident
 @Lo Pan I love that idea. As a 420 bowl-burner, I wouldn't have to pay a dime. This coming from a slow-lane occupier that leaves the biggest gap between me and the car in front. I'll challenge anyone here to match my courtesy opening for traffic merging into my lane. You've probably seen and passed me on the road... laughing out loud: "Whatta turtle!"
@Lo Pan  This from an Oregon driver????
No new taxes...........
The state governments never get rid of a tax once its in place. Maybe the state should look at reducing its bloated overhead and start cutting salaries and benefits.
Screw that, many of us have a lot of appointments, If they do this, The next car I get, I will Convert to HHO.
 @lee986321 Typical of lee.....leach off society by (admittedly) not working and collecting a plethora of government benefits.  Oh but when it comes time for her to pay....no, no way!Â
 @lee986321 The Age of the Jetsons is a long way off...however, your avatar is a striking resemblance of a future Elroy Jetson!
@lee986321 Knock yourself out with running water through your engine. However, that scheme, which doesn't work, is designed to help get you around the gas tax. It wouldn't help a bit with this tax.
Getting rid of the gas tax in favor of a pay as you go tax seems like a fair solution to me as long as they account for the weight of the vehicle. Heavier vehicles cause more wear and tear on the roads and should be taxed at a higher rate.Â
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And when your stuck in traffic you're still burning gas, gas that was taxed, so that's even more money down the drain. That's seems like a benefit with the pay as you go tax.
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I also think bicyclists should have to pay a tax to cover the cost of bike lanes and signage.
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As long as the tax is reasonable and fair then I don't see why it's not a good idea.
When you drive 100 mile round trip to work and more miles during work like myself and many others, it would add up fast.
Should people be penalized for having to commute to get to work because there are no jobs any closer? Not a good idea for many reasons.
 @Pointblank When you drive 100 mile round trips to work, I imagine the gas tax adds up fast too. If not, either way, I imagine the wear and tear on the road is ten times per day what my wife's five-mile commute in her 40mpg Echo is. Especially if you have snow tires, which we don't. So, what's the solution?
No.