Gas Taxes Keep Rising to Quell a Different Kind of Road Rage

The U.S. government, and the 50 states, keep Americans moving by funding road and public transit construction. They do this in large part by taxing gasoline. And those taxes have been going up.

Over the past decade, gas-tax increases have hit many parts of the country. The state of Washington is among the latest, having raised its levy by 4.9¢ per gallon to 67.8¢ per gallon on July 1. Northeastern states tend to charge higher gas taxes, while Midwestern residents enjoy lower rates. Pennsylvania has the highest tax nationwide, while Alaska has the lowest, according to the Tax Foundation.

For their part, the feds take 18.4¢ for every gallon sold to raise cash for highways, while state levies average of 26.49¢ per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.