Car tabs: My obscene bill comes due again

Once again it is vehicle registration time. Washington voters have passed a $30 car tab law three times, but each time it gets tied up in courts and we lose.

This year the tabs on my Prius will cost $322.25. It break down like this: registration renewal fee, $30; hybrid vehicle electrification transportation fee, $75; weight fee, $25; registration filing fee, $4.50; registration service fee, $8; Department of Licensing service fee, $0.50; license plate technology fee, $0.25.

That adds up to $143.25. But I’m billed for an additional $179. That’s because if you live in a “qualified area” of Pierce, King or Snohomish counties, you must pay an RTA (Regional Transit Authority) fee – an assessment to build light rail and trolley tracks to reduce congestion.

But officials have indicated that when the $400 billion Sound Transit project is completed, it will not significantly reduce congestion. So, I pay $179 extra for something I will never use.

In fact, where I live, they have discontinued bus service. It’s three miles to the nearest bus stop.

What a great state we live in. And what the hell is a hybrid vehicle electrification transportation fee?

This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Car tabs: My obscene bill comes due again."