If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s worth the drive across the border to fuel up in Idaho instead of Washington, the answer is a resounding yes—especially if you care about saving money, understanding where your tax dollars go, and holding government accountable.
While fuel prices across the country remain volatile, the gap between Washington and Idaho has grown into a canyon. The difference? Taxes, regulations, and transparency—or the lack of it.
As of this week, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Idaho is $3.69, compared to $4.87 in Washington. That’s a jaw-dropping $1.18 difference per gallon. A standard 15-gallon fill-up in Idaho could save a Washington driver over $17 every time they gas up.
For families feeling the squeeze of inflation, that’s not small change—it’s hundreds of dollars a year in real savings.
Fuel taxes are a major reason for the price discrepancy:
Washington state’s gas tax is increasing on July 1 by 6 cents to 55.4 cents per gallon, one of the highest in the nation. State lawmakers also put this gas tax increase on autopilot this year, with it set to increase automatically by 2% each year. When combined with the 18.4-cent federal tax, drivers will be paying nearly 74 cents per gallon in taxes alone.Idaho’s gas tax, by contrast, is 33 cents per gallon, bringing its total tax load to 51.4 cents per gallon—more than 22 cents less per gallon than Washington.
But the taxes themselves are only part of the issue.
Washington has further driven up costs through a cap-and-invest program, effectively a “carbon tax” that forces fuel suppliers to buy emissions credits. These regulatory costs are quietly passed along to consumers without clear disclosure. It is estimated that this carbon tax is currently adding an additional 46 cents per gallon to the cost of gasoline in the Evergreen State.
Idaho doesn’t impose these carbon fees, meaning lower regulatory costs and less government interference in fuel pricing. It’s a clear, measurable advantage for Idaho drivers—and a growing point of frustration for Washingtonians.
Drivers in border communities like Spokane, Clarkston and Pullman have already figured it out: gas up in Post Falls, Lewiston, or Coeur d’Alene. It’s not uncommon to see license plates from Washington lined up at Idaho gas stations, with drivers saving hundreds of dollars per year by simply crossing the state line.
This isn’t just about consumer choice. It’s about government responsibility.
If Washington is going to impose the highest gas taxes in the country, policymakers have a duty to ensure those dollars are being used efficiently and transparently. Under state law and the Washington Constitution, fuel tax revenue is supposed to be spent on highway purposes—not swept into unrelated programs or used to fund political agendas.
Unfortunately, that transparency is often missing. Between overlapping environmental programs, regulatory fees, and administrative costs, many taxpayers are left wondering: Where is all this money going—and why aren’t the roads any better?
High gas prices aren’t inevitable—they’re often the result of policy choices. If Washington lawmakers want to rebuild trust, they must:
Ensure fuel tax revenues are spent solely on roads, bridges, and transportation infrastructure;Increase transparency at the pump, so consumers understand what portion of their payment goes to taxes and fees; andRe-examine costly regulatory programs that drive up fuel prices without clear benefit to taxpayers or the environment.
In Idaho, lawmakers could build trust by requiring gas taxes to be posted at the gas pump. This is a long-standing MSPC recommendation that will help the state be more transparent.
Drivers are smart. When they realize they can save more than a dollar per gallon just by crossing the state line, they act—and they talk. If policymakers in Washington don’t start listening, the growing exodus to Idaho gas stations will only continue. And maybe that’s the real message here: If Washington won’t deliver savings, efficiency, and accountability—Idaho will.
Chris Cargill is the President of Mountain States Policy Center, an independent free market think tank based in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Eastern Washington. Online at mountainstatespolicy.org.
