January 22, 2021 at 12:18 pm
State lawmakers continue to search for a replacement for the gas tax. (Photo Illustration by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Washington Democrats are pushing to raise gas taxes, with the potential for an additional fee that could have people paying up to a dollar per gallon. State Rep Andrew Barkis (R-Olympia) is not a fan and finds the timing of the tax to be poor as people are struggling amidst lockdowns.
“We’re currently, I think, number four in the country at almost 50 cents a gallon on state tax, not including the federal tax, and this is another 18 cents on top of that,” Barkis told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “They justify it by the need of the revenue for the continuing transportation arena. Transportation is a big thing. I’ve been working the budget for last couple of years. We have seen some decline in revenue.”