Pausing Washington’s state’s gas tax would be misguided

Published 1:30 am Monday, April 6, 2026

There is powerful motivation for pausing Washington’s state gas tax, but such a move would be misguided. And while there is not yet a groundswell of support for suspending the tax, the issue provides an interesting look at gas prices in our state and the national cost of President Donald Trump’s war in Iran.

Make no mistake, gas prices in Washington are high. As of last week, according to AAA, the average price was $5.30 a gallon — well above the national average of $3.98. Washington always has among the nation’s highest gas prices, a function of tax policy and geography.

Our state tax of 55.4 cents per gallon — atop the federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon — is the third-highest in the nation. It is scheduled to increase by 2 percent on July 1 — an automatic annual increase designed to partly offset inflation. On top of that, our state’s location and a relative lack of refineries along the West Coast increase transportation costs for delivering gas to Washington drivers.

Meanwhile, gas prices have become a national talking point. Since Trump launched an unprovoked attack on Iran and since the Middle Eastern nation countered by closing the Strait of Hormuz — a key transportation corridor for the global oil supply — prices have spiked.

We often point out that presidents routinely receive too much credit and too much blame for inflation; federal policies are only a small factor in the prices paid by consumers. But the link between Trump’s war and gas prices is unavoidable; U.S. gas prices have increased by more than $1 per gallon in the past month.

In the wake of that pressure at the pump, several states have paused gas taxes or considered such a move. In Georgia, for example, the governor approved a 60-day halt to the state’s gas tax of 33 cents per gallon.

But as The Seattle Times reported last week: “In Washington, spokespeople for Democratic legislative leaders say a gas tax holiday is not currently on the table. And spokespeople for Senate and House Republicans said Friday they are not calling on Gov. Bob Ferguson to suspend the state’s” gas tax.

It is tempting for the public to support a suspension of the tax. In addition to paying more than $5 a gallon, Washington consumers can see how increases in gas (and diesel) prices lead to increases in groceries, coffee, clothing, electronics, lawn-care products and anything else that has to be transported to the retailer.

But there are reasons to oppose a temporary rollback of the state gas tax.

One is that gas prices are in line with historical averages. In 2008, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average retail gas price was $3.25 a gallon; adjusted for inflation, that translates into a cost of $4.93 today. Although there are peaks and valleys in the price of gas, it has grown more slowly than inflation over the past 18 years — in part because the United States has become a net exporter of oil.

Another is that halting the gas tax now would have negative effects down the road. The state government expects to collect $3.25 billion from fuel taxes during the 2025-27 biennium — money that is the primary funding for the construction and maintenance for highways, bridges, ferries and other crucial transportation corridors.

Removing the state gas tax, even temporarily, would mean that Washington residents in the future have poorer infrastructure because of Trump’s war. That war is costly — as we are reminded every time we fill up our gas tank.