Mr. Ozias goes to Washington

Privacy, fairness, and political favoritism

A new pay-per-mile tax could mean higher costs, government tracking, and exemptions for special interests—while everyday drivers foot the bill.

When Clallam County resident Sue Coffman learned that County Commissioner Mark Ozias was working with an Olympia-based nonprofit organization to promote legislation instating a pay-per-mile tax on Washington State drivers, she voiced her frustration in a passionate email:

I am appalled that you encourage a pay-per-mile gas tax within our state. As someone who drives quite a bit out of state to visit family several times a year, this type of tax would impact me greatly. It's bad enough what the price of gas is, but to then tax us upon the miles we actually drive is breaking the average person's back. I implore you to reconsider, and to actually listen to the citizens.

We are being misdirected, manipulated, and brushed aside while you wastefully spend the tax dollars that WE have paid to you!

Stop ignoring your constituents! Stop raising our taxes in order to keep your corporate supporters happy! Reside at the normal level of living as most of us citizens, instead of taking money from all those organizations who support your position within the political hierarchy!

Submitted in frustration,

Sue Coffman

Commissioner Ozias’s response: Explanation or evasion?

Commissioner Mark Ozias responded with an informative yet impersonal reply, addressing the logistics of the proposed tax but failing to engage with Coffman’s concerns regarding financial burden and government accountability:

Thank you for writing. The Washington State Legislature has been studying the concept of a road usage charge for a number of years; there are four states which have already implemented one and another 40 in some phase of study or planning. The bill introduced this year is SB5726 should you care to dig into the details.

The “gas tax” is the primary source of road funding, and one of our two primary sources of road funding at the county level along with the road fund property tax levy. Due to increased fuel efficiency and increased usage of electric vehicles, statewide gas tax collections have been declining since 2019, while of course the cost of maintaining roads and bridges has risen considerably since then. This is why the Legislature has been looking for an alternative.

As I understand it, this year’s legislation would phase this concept in over a period of years beginning with electric vehicles first. Eventually, when gas vehicles begin to be phased in, any gas tax that is paid at the pump will be credited against that person’s road usage charge; in other words, people should not be double-taxed during the transition. Eventually there would be no state gas tax and only a road usage charge.

There will be allowances made for out-of-state miles driven, miles driven on a farm and other special circumstances. Privacy is a major concern so this would be a self-reporting, odometer-based system.

You can follow along with and learn more about this or any piece of legislation being considered down in Olympia at leg.wa.gov

Sincerely,

Mark Ozias

While Ozias provides a technical breakdown of the rationale behind the tax, his response does little to address the financial hardships that such a tax would impose on residents, particularly those in rural areas without access to safe public transportation.

Concerns with the pay-per-mile tax

Coffman’s concerns are valid. As someone who accrues miles outside of Washington, her odometer reading would not accurately reflect the miles she drives within the state. While Ozias claims the tax would rely on “self-reporting,” this raises concerns about enforcement. What would prevent drivers from claiming that most of their miles were accrued out of state? The answer already being discussed is troubling—a government-mandated transponder in every vehicle, tracking location and mileage in real time.

Additionally, Washington's tourism-heavy regions, such as Clallam County and the Olympic Peninsula, would face a serious discrepancy. Out-of-state visitors who contribute to the wear and tear of local roads would not pay a cent toward road maintenance if the gas tax is phased out, placing the financial burden solely on Washington residents.

Special exemptions and political favoritism

One entity likely exempt from the pay-per-mile system is Commissioner Ozias’s top campaign contributor and the county’s second largest employer, the Jamestown Tribe, a foreign-profit corporation. With a fleet of vehicles supporting its expanding corporate ventures and over 1,100 employees, all displaying license plates marked “XMT” on company vehicles, these would likely be exempt from the pay-per-mile tax. This raises questions about fairness—why should certain groups receive preferential treatment while regular citizens bear the financial burden?

This exemption serves as yet another example of Clallam County’s elected officials carving out advantages for the special interests that help keep them in power.

Where is our leader?

Commissioner Ozias was notably absent from the county commissioners’ work session and meeting this week—he was on a business trip to Washington, D.C., attending the National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference.

NACo is an affiliate of the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC), an Olympia-based nonprofit where Ozias holds a leadership position as First Vice President on the Board’s Executive Committee.

Mark Ozias, far right, was recently promoted to First Vice President of WSAC’s Executive Committee.

Ozias’s involvement raises questions: If Clallam County residents elected Representatives Tharinger and Bernbaum to represent their interests in Olympia, why does Ozias frequently travel to the State Capitol instead of attending to pressing local matters? Likewise, with Senators Murray and Cantwell, as well as Congresswoman Emily Randall, representing our interests in Washington D.C., why does our county commissioner need to make trips to the nation's capital?

A policy that demands further scrutiny

While Commissioner Ozias provides a rationale for the pay-per-mile tax, his response fails to meaningfully address the financial strain it will impose on many Washington residents. The proposed system raises serious concerns about privacy, fairness, and economic impact. Residents should remain vigilant, demand transparency from their elected officials, and ensure that their voices are truly heard in the legislative process.