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Washington drivers react to lawmakers鈥 approval of 6-cent gas tax hike

Apr 27, 2025, 3:26 PM

gas pumps different amounts fuel...

A customer pumps gas. (Photo: Marta Lavandier, The Associated Press)

(Photo: Marta Lavandier, The Associated Press)

As lawmakers send a proposal to Governor Bob Ferguson to increase the gas tax, some people are concerned about Washington鈥檚 already-high prices at the pump.

听which sits around 20 cents higher than the national average, at $0.494/ gallon. The proposal would raise it by 6 cents a gallon, adding a two percent increase every year after that, with sponsors saying that will allow funding to keep up with inflation.

Inflation is one of the reasons the state鈥檚 transportation budget faces a听The tax package, that includes luxury vehicle taxes and increasing fees on drivers licenses and vehicle registration, would raise an estimated $3.2 billion over that same time period.

鈥淚 think we need road work, and it seems to need more money to make the roads better, but at the same time, more taxes isn鈥檛 necessarily good,鈥 said Steven Berken, who lives in Tacoma.

Berken is entering retirement and is worried about the impact that ever-increasing gas prices will have on his fixed income, especially after years of inflation pinching his pocket from all angles.

鈥淧rices go up, costs go up, and it鈥檚 not any good right now, at least for me,鈥 he said, 鈥淒on鈥檛 go out to eat much anymore and I always enjoyed that.鈥

‘It’s a lot on the wallet’

For Mario, a father in Tacoma, he鈥檚 watched the price to fill up his truck from $ 80 to $120 today.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot on the wallet, you know?鈥 he said, 鈥淭hey keep raising the prices on everything. Rent is up, I don鈥檛 think its okay but that鈥檚 the world we live in now.鈥

The bill awaits Governor Bob Ferguson鈥檚 office, who has not committed to a position either way, despite several asks from 成人X站7 Saturday. Berken sees bad roads around his neighborhoods and commute frequently.

鈥淚鈥檓 kind of torn. Everybody needs more money nowadays, even the government, but it depends if they use it properly.鈥

MyNorthwest News

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