Sound Transit board approves motion asking lawmakers for lower car tabs

The controversy surrounding a $30 car tabs measure has been well-documented, since voters approved it in November. Now, it looks as though Sound Transit is looking to address the issue of pricey car tabs.

Washington’s $30 car tab debacle could have been avoided

The Seattle Times reported that Sound Transit board members voted unanimously on Thursday to ask the Legislature for new methods to calculate car tab values at “current market value.”

For some context: Sound Transit collects roughly $110 per $10,000 of vehicle value to calculate yearly car tab fees for drivers in the region. That came as a result of the voter-approved ST3 transportation package in 2016, leading to many people seeing their car tab fees double, and even triple, especially for newer vehicles.

What followed was years of confusion over how car tab fees were calculated. That was backed up by a recent court proceeding, where Sound Transit admitted it had inadvertently used a 1998 depreciation schedule to calculate car tab taxes, instead of the 1996 schedule laid out in ST3.

Judge pauses $30 car tabs while I-976 goes to court

To make up the difference in funding lost from potentially lowering car tab fees, board members discussed asking lawmakers to approve a separate revenue source.

Prior to voters approving I-976 in November, the Legislature had three separate proposals that would have lowered car tabs. None made it out of committee for a full vote.

Meanwhile, an injunction to halt the implementation of I-976 while a lawsuit plays out in court remains in place.

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