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montlakebikeshop.jpg
Wechsler worried that if such a tax was imposed, it would only encourage his customers to by online out of state, hurting him and other local retailers. (Image courtesy Montlake Bike Shop)

Shop owner: Bike tax could hurt local businesses more than it helps roads

BY Alyssa Kleven  on February 21, 2013 @ 9:28 am (Updated: 11:46 am - 2/21/13 )

A tax proposed to help Washington state's continuously ailing transportation budget could hurt small businesses says a Seattle bike shop owner.

Neil Wechsler owns the Montlake Bicycle Shop in Seattle. He joined KIRO Radio's Andrew Walsh Show to talk about how the potential tax would effect him and his business.

The transportation revenue package, as proposed in Olympia on Wednesday, included a $25 sales fee on bicycles sold for $500 or more, which is expected to bring in $1 million over the next ten years.

The package, as a whole is expected to bring in $9.8 billion. The centerpiece of the funding is a 10 cent increase in the gasoline tax that would be phased in. Transportation Committee chair Judy Clibborn thinks motorists can handle that.

The funding plan would help reduce a backlog of maintenance that's part of an estimated $50 billion in state transportation needs. In addition to $1 billion for both the state and local governments to maintain infrastructure, the package would allocate about $3 billion to help fund new and existing road projects.

Wechsler worried that if such a tax was imposed, it would only encourage his customers to buy bikes online out of state, hurting him and other local retailers. "Anybody from out of state who sells bicycles to people in Washington won't have to pay the tax."

Andrew suggested that while the fee might be imposed on bicyclists who often drive less, it brings them into an common conversation in the Seattle area: bikes and the war on cars.

Wechsler doesn't believe such a war exists, though sometimes there is tension between bikes and cars on the road. "I ride a bike a lot. Almost every day. I drive a car occasionally. I see both sides of what it's like as an experience. And yes, once in a while I see a little antagonism."

It doesn't happen very often though, he says. Just an occasional person who once in a while gets mad. "I went to college here, back in 1970, and I rode my bike all the time back then too and I don't feel like it's any more or less antagonistic between car drivers and bicyclists."

And while taxing bicycles brings riders into a conversation that they might otherwise avoid if they avoid most car commutes, Wechsler argues the state would be able to save money if more people used their bike to commute.

Representative Judy Clibborn told Andrew that the portion of the package that includes the taxes on bicycles may not even make it into a bill that's passed. But she was interested that it started a conversation.

KIRO Radio's Tim Haeck contributed to this report.

Alyssa Kleven, MyNorthwest.com Editor
Alyssa Kleven is an editor and content producer at MyNorthwest.com. She enjoys doting over her adorable dachshund Winnie - named for Arcade Fire front-man Win Butler.
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Comments (5)


  • Add A Comment

  • imanegro wrote...
    "...Judy Clibborn thinks motorists can handle that."
    February 21, 2013 11:34 am
    Sure, we can handle that. We handled the nickle a few years ago, then we handled the next increase, 9.5 cents phased over a few years. Does Clibborn EVER think we can't handle it?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hpitantso wrote...
    If bike tax hurts
    February 21, 2013 12:17 pm
    If you use same roads, lights, LEM as auto, trucks or bus PAY and stop whining you need more lane rules and laws to protect your cheap behinds.Buy a cheap bike recycle a bike, people buy expensive cars to impress they pay the taxes because the can afford it. ABOUT TIME to get even with Mayor Bikemike
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • uralnutjobs wrote...
    road tax on off road bikes?
    February 21, 2013 3:32 pm
    there are may bikes that are over $500 that never see pavement. do these bill writers even have a clue on what the cycling industy is even about?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    a clue on what the cycling industy is even about
    February 22, 2013 8:24 am
    Oh, we drivers and taxpayers have more than a clue. We pay tons of our money so gov't can waste it on bike only paths, bike only overpasses, bike only roads etc, etc...all while bike riders run stop signs, cut across lanes and just ignore traffic laws in general and pay nothing in return. Yes. We have a clue....
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  • murr wrote...
    Hey you have an option, you can still walk
    March 3, 2013 5:14 am
    Im noy sure why you THINK you should be exempt. Ohhh thats right, you feel your entilted. Pay your way, you must feel like a goverment employee...... entilted
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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