To the Editor:
State lawmakers are proposing a Pay by Mile system (HB 1921) to help pay for road maintenance.
The rationale is sound as it tries to level the playing field among gas and battery powered vehicles. However, HB1921 is fatally flawed in that it doesn’t eliminate altogether the state’s 50 cents per gallon gas tax.
Here’s my modest proposal: Eliminate the gas tax and replace it with Pay by Mile for all vehicles as follows:
Cars, light trucks—2.5 cents per mile
Heavy trucks, buses—3 cents per mile
Motorcycles—one cent per mile
Currently, Tesla owners pay only a flat $225/year road maintenance fee. Compare that with a gas-powered SUV traveling 30,000 miles per year at 20 miles per gallon paying $750/year for road maintenance--a gross inequity.
State legislators need to do more homework to eliminate the unfair 50 cents/gallon gas tax and replace it with a universal Pay by Mile tax system.
Morgan Davis
Snohomish
