NEW VIDEO: Mileage tax could threaten road funds
The Road Usage Charge Pilot Project has ended and the Washington State Transportation Commission will spend the rest of this year working on white papers and a report to the Legislature with their findings and recommendations.
However, there is a significant difference between the pilot project and the policy that could be enacted in our state, which would likely take the form of a mileage tax.
If a Road Usage Charge is implemented as state policy, Puget Sound Regional Council officials, who have a voice on the RUC Steering Committee, note they would like "a broader consideration of possible uses" (they do not want mileage tax revenue to be protected by the 18th amendment like the state gas tax is, for highway purposes only). Used for spending unrelated to roads, a Road Usage Charge would not be a targeted user fee, but a general tax. Even our state's Secretary for the Department of Transportation, who was the former Vice President of Smart Growth America, is an advocate of combining "all revenues/resources into [a] common pot for redistribution to the most effective projects."
All indications show there is a high possibility that a RUC would not be protected by the 18th amendment, which protects drivers. Check out our short video below: