The District of Columbia adds a per-gallon motor-fuel tax to every gallon of gasoline, on top of the 18.4-cent federal excise tax. Because these are fixed cents-per-gallon amounts, the more you drive, the more gas tax you pay. This tool totals that tax by fill-up or by annual mileage.
How it works
Gas excise tax is a flat amount per gallon, so the math is gallons times the combined per-gallon rate:
combined per-gallon tax = DC rate + federal rate
by fill-up: total tax = tank gallons × combined rate
by mileage: gallons = miles ÷ miles-per-gallon
total tax = gallons × combined rate
tax/mile = total tax ÷ miles
The District of Columbia rate is roughly 23.5 cents and the federal rate is 18.4 cents per gallon, for a combined figure near 42 cents per gallon of gasoline.
Example and notes
Driving 12,000 miles a year at 25 miles per gallon burns 12,000 ÷ 25 = 480
gallons. At a combined 42 cents per gallon that is 480 × 0.42 = 201.60 dollars
of gas tax a year, or about 201.60 ÷ 12,000 = 0.0168 dollars per mile. Diesel
is taxed at a different rate, and excise rates change, so confirm the current
District of Columbia figure with the DC Office of Tax and Revenue.