Olympia Says No: Washington Legislators Refuse Gas Tax Moratorium as Drivers Pay $5+ a Gallon

OLYMPIA, Wash. | April 25, 2026
With gas prices averaging more than $5.39 a gallon across Washington State, well above the national average of $3.98, frustrated drivers have been pressing lawmakers to act. So far, Olympia isn't budging.
Spokespeople for Democratic legislative leaders confirmed this week that a gas tax holiday is not currently on the table. And in a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, Republican leaders are also declining to formally push for a suspension, with House and Senate GOP spokespeople saying they are not calling on Gov. Bob Ferguson to pause the tax either.

Washington carries the third-highest state gas tax in the nation at 55.4 cents per gallon, a rate that increased by 6 cents last July. The situation is set to get costlier: an automatic 2% annual increase is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026, with the same built-in escalator applying every year after. The Washington Research Council projects the gas tax will climb to 60 cents per gallon by 2029.
On top of the state levy, Washington drivers pay an 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gas tax and an estimated 62 cents per gallon tied to the state's Climate Commitment Act, the so-called carbon tax. Combined, those layers place Washington among the most expensive states in the country to fill a tank.

Other states are moving where Washington won't. Georgia and Indiana have implemented gas tax suspensions in response to rising prices driven in part by tensions stemming from the U.S.-Iran conflict. Utah is set to reduce its gas tax by 6 cents per gallon beginning July 1. On the federal level, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Mark Kelly introduced the Gas Prices Relief Act of 2026 to suspend the federal gas tax through October 1, though the bill remains in early legislative stages.

One bipartisan proposal floated in Olympia would tap revenue from Washington's Climate Commitment Act, which has generated more than $3 billion in compliance costs since 2023, to partially offset the gas tax burden. That idea has not gained enough traction to advance.

Gov. Ferguson has the authority to call the Legislature back for a special session to address the issue. That option, too, appears unlikely for now.
With no relief in sight from state government, Washington drivers are left navigating some of the highest pump prices in the country, and watching other states ease a burden that Olympia has so far declined to touch.