Gas price has many variables

The recent headline “Gas tax hard to predict” is not quite accurate. The tax on gasoline is easy to determine. Add the state tax of 44.5 cents to the federal tax of 18.4 cents, and get a total tax of 62.9 cents (which the article does).

What is difficult to predict is the effects of the tax increase (and total tax) on the overall cost of a gallon of gasoline. The tax total is always a constant. The final price for a gallon depends on several variables, including seasonal usage, supply and local competition. But whatever the final cost to fill up the tank, a state gas tax increase of 7 cents this year and 4.9 cents next year represents 11.9 cents per gallon more than the gas would cost without the increase.

In April 2015, the American Petroleum Institute listed Washington as having the fifth-highest total of all taxes and fees on gasoline (55.9 cents per gallon), behind Pennsylvania (70 cents), California (65.98 cents), N.Y. (62.86 cents) and Hawaii (62.06 cents). On that list, the new gas tax here would move us up to No. 2, only 2.2 cents from being No. 1.

William Mahaney

Spokane