Idea to Tax Drivers By the Mile Gathers Support in Washington

Washington's top transportation official has indicated support for the idea of beefing up transportation funds by taxing drivers by the mile.

1 minute read

May 14, 2009, 7:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg

"Washington state should allow a pilot project to tax drivers by the mile in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, a Seattle official said Tuesday."

"'Let us try it,' Seattle Department of Transportation Director Grace Crunican said during a morning Urban Land Institute discussion on how to meet massive and changing infrastructure needs."

"...David Dye, deputy secretary of the Washington Department of Transportation, said state residents are not ready to accept paying for roads, and routinely point out that 'freeway' has 'free' right in the name.

But tolls are coming back to the central Puget Sound, Dye said. 'That's going to be a critical part of how we finance our transportation infrastructure in the future.'

Washington has around $80 billion in unfunded transportation infrastructure needs, with about half of that in the central Puget Sound, Dye said."

FULL STORY: Let's try taxing drivers by the mile, Seattle official says

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Government / Politics Transportation Washington Gas Tax Pay-As-You-Drive

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