Drivers in Washington State may need to start paying attention to the amount of time they log in their cars, as the Department of Transportation looks at charging motorists by the mile for road revenue, the Seattle Times reports.
While the gas-tax revenue is expected to increase less than one percent over the next few years, construction costs will increase between 2.6 and 3.1 percent, leaving the state short of funds to cover maintenance projects.
“Inflation that we have forecasted is higher than these motor-fuel growth rates of less than 1 percent,” said Lizbeth Martin-Mahar, the Department of Transportation’s chief economist.
DOT Rolls Out Road Revenue Test Program
Beginning in 2018, 2,000 motorists will be chosen to test a possible solution by paying a mock tax on the amount of miles they drive, rather than a tax on the gas they consume, which currently sits at 49.4 cents per gallon of gas purchased.
Participants will track the amount of miles they drive by either taking a picture of their odometer at various points, having it read at the Department of Licensing office, using a smartphone app to log miles or plugging a mileage meter into their car.
The road revenue raised by a pay-by-the-mile plan would be instead of the gas tax, not in addition to it, officials said.
Fuel-Efficient Cars Partially to Blame for Lowered Gas-Tax Revenue
The rise in fuel-efficient cars has taken its toll on areas of the budget that rely on gas-tax revenue, despite being better for the environment.
The average motor vehicle in Washington State currently gets 20.5 miles per gallon, and continues to rise.
“By the time we hit about 35 miles per gallon, which our forecasters say will be in about 2035, we lose about 45 percent of gas-tax revenue,” said Reema Griffith, director of the Transportation Commission. “That’s not insignificant.”
The state is particularly dependent on gas-tax revenue, due to no state income tax, and relies heavily on that revenue for construction projects.
Washington Follows Other States Looking for Alternative Road Revenue
Six other states are considering road-usage programs, with California and Oregon implementing their own pilot programs.
Eighty-five percent of volunteers in the California test run were pleased with the results, with nearly 75 percent of participants reporting that the road-usage plan was fairer in the long run.
In Washington, however, a June poll showed that 58 percent of respondents opposed a road-usage plan.