Gas Tax Reality Check

Lessons from Europe

$2.85 per gallon…tax! 

The United States Federal tax on gasoline is 18.5 cents per gallon. The Virginia gas tax is 17.5 cents per gallon. Drivers in Northern Virginia pay an additional 2% sales tax to help pay for public transportation in the region.

The average price of gasoline in Northern Virginia is about $2.60. (A combined federal, state and local tax of 41 cents.) Source: AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report

As it turns out, the entire price per gallon we pay in Northern Virginia could not even pay the tax on gasoline in several major European countries.

• France: $3.22 per gallon ($6.58 per gallon total)
• Germany: $2.85 per gallon ($6.81 per gallon total)
• Italy: $2.99 per gallon ($6.74 per gallon total)
• United Kingdom: $3.78 per gallon ($6.40 per gallon total)
• US Average: $0.38 per gallon ($2.51 per gallon total)

Source: Energy Information Administration

European fuel taxes sometimes average over 50% of fuel costs, compared to just 15% in the United States.

No One Is Suggesting
Increasing the Gas Tax by $2.50 per gallon
to Match Germany, But One Dime
Doesn’t Seem all that Unreasonable

The Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance is the only organization focused solely on making better transportation a reality for Northern Virginia citizens and businesses.