Editor,

For those who missed it, Governor Ferguson signed into law, Senate Bill 5801, that increased the gasoline tax on July 1 from 49.4 cents per gallon to 55.4 cents and incorporates a 2% annual increase to keep up with inflation. This is part of a larger transportation revenue increase package approved by the legislature.

Washington state is in third place, after California and Pennsylvania, for the highest national gasoline taxes and, with the annual increases, it won’t take long to be in first place. There is no sunset clause on this annual increase so you can bet, with a spend-then-tax legislature, that there will be no end to it. Most of the country is experiencing reductions in gasoline costs but not Washington. This will hit lower income workers the hardest and this increase adds to the costs of just about everything we buy that is shipped by vehicle. The problem appears to be a legislature that doesn’t prioritize transportation projects, or it seems, anything else, and wants them done all at the same time and adding new ones before completion of others. They are approved then the legislature hunts for the funds to pay for them.

Washington has a severe budget and spending problem. This state, with everything taxed to the hilt, should be awash in money. Added to the fossil fuel user abuse above, the cap-and-trade carbon tax auctions also raise gasoline prices further that are passed on directly through from producers to all fossil fuel energy customers. Then the Environmental Justice Council spreads those millions/billions on climate change and other projects that seem to mostly accomplish little to nothing useful. Why isn’t this money instead being used in alleviating present critical funding problems? Fossil fuel powered vehicles and other uses for these fuels are not going away. Taxpayers cannot fund everything, especially countless social programs thought up by legislators. There are so many taxpayer state funded programs to help low-income residents that they should all be doing well. You can also bet every budget cycle will generate need for more money and more tax increases. Washington is a beautiful state but unless changes are made it is rapidly heading to become one of the most expensive to reside in for taxpayers.

Ed Hickey

Oak Harbor