Relief from expensive car-tab fees inches closer to reality

The Washington state Senate approved a bill that would provide those hit with huge car-tab fees a bit of relief.

What are the chances you’ll see relief?

Senate bill 5955 passed early March 1. It would require car tabs to be calculated using what supporters say is a more accurate motor vehicle valuation system.

Senators who voted yea:
Becker
Billig
Chase
Cleveland
Conway
Darneille
Dhingra
Fain
Hasegawa
Hawkins
Hobbs
Hunt
Keiser
King
Kiderer
Liias
McCoy
Miloscia
Mullet
Nelson
O’Ban
Palumbo
Ranker
Rolfes
Saldano
Takko
Van De Wege
Warnick
Wellman
Zeiger

Senators who voted nay:
Angel
Bailey
Braun
Brown
Carlyle
Fortunato
Frockt
Padden
Pedersen
Schoesler
Sheldon
Short
Wagoner
Wilson

Sound Transit currently uses an outdated formula to calculate tab fees. The Legislature approved a new valuation standard in 2006, but the transit agency opted to use an older method in its favor. Instead of using a valuation standard like the Kelley Blue Book, Sound Transit bases its calculations more on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of a car.

If approved, credits will be provided for those who pay their tabs before September of this year.

Additionally, the bill would allow Sound Transit to use money that was supposed to go into an education fund under the Sound Transit 3 plan. That money would help offset the loss in funding from lower car-tab bills, to help ensure ST3 light rail projects are still funded.

The bill now moves to the House.