OLYMPIA — As gas prices surge past $5 amid the ongoing war in Iran, pressure is mounting on states to provide relief — but Washington state’s top officials say there is no current effort to follow others in considering a pause to gas taxes.
The spike in fuel costs, driven by global oil supply impacts tied to the Middle East conflict, has pushed some states to act. In Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill into law on March 20 to pause the state’s 33-cents-per-gallon tax for a 60-day window. Similar proposals have been floated by lawmakers in other states including Maryland and South Carolina.
At the national level, momentum is building in Congress, where lawmakers have introduced proposals to suspend the 18-cents-per-gallon federal gas tax through the fall as part of the Gas Prices Relief Act of 2026, to ease costs for drivers nationwide.
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 combined 59-cents-per-gallon tax.
The Legislature’s recent adjournment on March 12 amid the initial fallout of the Trump administration’s strike on Iran means Ferguson would have to call lawmakers back to Olympia for a special legislative session to propose and pass a bill, since it is a dedicated revenue source already written into law.
Ferguson’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment on whether he is considering reconvening lawmakers, or any other relief for Washingtonians as gas prices climb and with no clarity on how long-lasting the shock will persist.
The silence comes as the average price of gas in Washington on Friday was $5.30 a gallon; nationally, the average was at $3.98 according to AAA. But even before the latest instability, Washington’s gas prices are among the highest nationwide due to many factors, including state taxes, distribution and labor costs.
February’s transportation revenue forecast estimated that the state will collect about $3.25 billion in fuel tax revenue in the 2025-27 biennium. It’s the primary funding source for transportation projects — already under pressure from shifts and cuts in expected federal support — including highway and bridge maintenance, ferries and long-term infrastructure upgrades.
Budget analysts say even a temporary suspension would come with steep trade-offs and would not likely result in meaningful reductions for consumers as much of any tax cut could be absorbed by fuel suppliers.
Transportation revenue would take a hit of about $271 million from a 60-day pause, depending on if the pause was during summer or winter months, according to Hayden Mackley, a spokesperson for the Office of Financial Management.
However, he noted, that’s based off estimates made before prices began to rise earlier this month. Similar to Georgia, Washington taxes fuel where tanker trucks fill up and not at the pump, so “downstream customers are not paying fuel tax directly.”
“The effect may be delayed, or not as perceivable as might be expected,” Mackley said.
Neither the idea nor Washington’s reluctance is new.
In 2022, due to rising gas costs associated with the war in Ukraine, inflation and high federal interest rates, several states including Georgia, New York and Florida temporarily paused gas taxes. Then-Gov. Jay Inslee opted not to call for a special legislative session as he and Democratic lawmakers questioned whether it would provide relief for those who need it most.
