The esteemed Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, just 3 years ago said, “Transportation pollution paying for transportation solutions. It’s not our children’s lungs that should be burned. It should be polluters.”
http://komonews.com/…/gov-inslee-wants-new-tax-to-fund-12-b…
This resulted in a 12 cent per gallon tax increase that was phased in over 2 steps – one in 2015 and one in 2016. This “polluters fee” increased what the state takes from each gallon of gas from 37 cents to 49 cents and resulted in an estimated 7 BILLION dollars in increased revenue projected over the first 12 years.
Let’s break down the Governor’s quote above.
The Governor would like to demonize transportation polluters. The term makes you think maybe there is a gang of dystopian marauders roaming the roads of Washington hauling steaming piles of nuclear waste and dumping them on children’s playgrounds. These villainous criminals should be “burned” rather than allowing our “children’s lungs” to be “burned” any longer. Given the incredible ability of this nefarious group to target “the Children” with their lung-burning toxic waste, one would think hanging would be in order rather than a piddly extra 12 cents. Of course, the governor does not have such a gang in mind – he has you in mind. And hopefully, himself – as he and his wife are chauffeured in different gas guzzling Chevy Suburbans. The good news is the 7 billion dollars will be used to fix bridges in the state (I assume the bridge over the fill here in town is going to be vastly improved) which will, I presume, solve the outbreak of children’s lung issues in the state.
https://www.opb.org/…/why-washingtons-green-governor-is-ch…/
The 12 cents per gallon taxed passed and has been fully in place for almost 18 months. That’s a long time and apparently long enough that the beneficent Inslee feels it is long past time to do more to thwart the driving designs of polluters everywhere.
Inslee has just proposed a new “carbon tax” on carbon emissions producers. The estimated end result is an additional 19 to 20 cents per gallon for the consumer plus an estimated 5% increase in your electrical bill. Inslee says these “modest” increases will be used to study and expand “clean energy” options… well at least half of the money will be used for that. The rest .. um… floodwaters… and other stuff.
Additionally, Inslee is proposing that this “modest increase” once enacted be raised annually at 3.5% OVER the rate of inflation.
http://www.king5.com/…/gov-inslee-unveils-car…/281-506575616
This proposal if enacted would raise the state portion of a gallon of gas to 69 cents and the total cost per gallon for taxes including the federal tax to 87 cents. I personally use about 28 gallons a week which means that amount I would need to budget just for TAXES on my gas would be $110 per month.
Gas today at our local Safeway is $2.72 – currently 67 cents of which is tax – gas would be $2.05 per gallon if we had no tax.
This means we are currently taxed nearly 33% on gasoline. This is BEFORE Inslee’s proposal to add 20 cents a gallon. With that tax we would be paying 43% sales tax on gas… Imagine if we just paid the sales tax rate we pay on everything else 7.9%… but then the children’s lungs…. sigh …
This is still America – you can and should contact your legislature and the governor’s office. But will you?
Passionate Grace 
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