Washington’s pay-per-mile tax proposal: A Trojan Horse for government tracking
The push to replace Washington’s gas tax with a pay-per-mile tax (Road Usage Charge, or RUC, also referred to as a VMT – Vehicle Miles Tax) is gaining steam, and lawmakers are eager to roll it out under the guise of “fairness” and “modernization.” But don’t be fooled—this isn’t just a tax. It’s a massive government tracking scheme dressed up as a transportation fix.
Washington officials claim the RUC is necessary because fuel-efficient and electric vehicles are cutting into gas tax revenues. Their solution? Charge you for every mile you drive—a plan that comes with a dangerous tradeoff: government surveillance of your movements.
How the pay-per-mile tax leads to driver tracking
Supporters insist the system will be voluntary at first, allowing electric vehicle (EV) owners to opt in. But make no mistake—this is just a test run for a statewide mandate. The Washington State Transportation Commission has made it clear: By 2035, they want every driver in this system.
And how do they plan to track how many miles you drive? GPS tracking.
🚘 Option 1: GPS-enabled mileage trackers installed in your car to monitor where and how far you drive.
📊 Option 2: Regular odometer readings, requiring you to report mileage to the government.
🛣️ Option 3: A third-party tracking service, which raises even more concerns about who controls your data.
No matter how they spin it, this new tax requires monitoring your movements—either by tracking your location in real time or by forcing you to report your mileage to the state.
The hidden cost: VMT collection is a financial disaster
💸A pay-per-mile tax is costly to administer—5% to 13% of revenue, compared to less than 1% for the current gas tax. Whatever the program’s goals, that’s a whole lot less money to fund public services or combat climate change.
🔍And the reason for the increased administrative cost? Every driver has to be individually taxed and monitored, opposed to getting taxed at the pump.
The privacy nightmare: Who’s watching you?
Washingtonians should be asking: Who will have access to this data?
🔍 State agencies? What’s stopping the government from using your mileage data to track your whereabouts?
📡 Third-party vendors? Private companies handling mileage reporting will have access to your travel history—and what’s to stop them from selling it?
🚔 Law enforcement? Could your location data be subpoenaed or used in unrelated investigations?
Government officials promise they won’t misuse the data. But when has that ever stopped mission creep? The same people who claim the RUC is just about “fairness” also pushed for tolling expansions, vehicle emissions tracking, and congestion pricing. Every time, they start small—then quietly expand their control.
More taxes, less freedom
Beyond the massive privacy concerns, this tax is just another way to squeeze more money out of Washington drivers.
📈 It won’t replace the gas tax—it might just be added on top. Lawmakers don’t usually eliminate existing taxes; they’ll double-dip.
💰 Rural and suburban drivers will pay the most. If you live outside the city and drive longer distances for work or errands, you’ll be hit the hardest.
🚙 Road trip? Get ready for a tax bill. Driving out of state? Either you’ll have to report those miles or get taxed on them anyway, a would-be daily frustration for Washingtonians that live near the border such as in Spokane, the Tri-Cities and Vancouver, and those that work in other states.
At a time when inflation is crushing families and Washingtonians already pay some of the highest gas taxes in the country, adding a new, invasive mileage tax is the last thing we need.
The bottom line: Say no to government tracking
Washington’s pay-per-mile scheme is more than just a tax—it’s a dangerous expansion of government control. Once this system is in place, there’s no turning back.
Lawmakers should be focused on cutting wasteful spending instead of creating new ways to monitor and tax citizens.
The time to stop this is now. Use Future 42’s Take Action Tool to tell lawmakers: No to the pay-per-mile tax, no to government tracking, and no to more unnecessary taxes.
📢 Take action now: CLICK HERE
Let’s make sure Olympia hears us loud and clear—Washingtonians will not trade their privacy and freedom for another tax scheme.