$30 plus fees?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : I-695 Thirty Dollar License Tab Initiative : One Thread

I guess I missed something about I-695, but the Tacoma News Tribune, 11 Nov 99, in answering questions about the initiative makes the statement that "No one will pay just $30. Various fees specifically imposed on vehicles by the Legislature have not been repealed by I-695 and will continue to be collected in addition the new $30 fee for license tab renewals.

$3.00 filing fee for license-tab renewals $15 local fee for residents of King, Pierce, Snohomish and Douglas counties. $30 fee assess on peronalized (vanity), collegiate and stadium plates.

Is this correct?

Leif

-- Leif O. Thorvaldson (leif@mashell.com), November 12, 1999

Answers

Yes, to my understanding that is correct. The $30 flat fee is to replace only the MVET portion of what we've been paying all these years, which for some people, amounts to hundreds of dollars. Filing fees and other County-specific fees were not repealed by I-695.

-- Diane (SSSTANG@aol.com), November 12, 1999.

It's true. Don't ever let yourself be confused by government. This initiative has done a brilliant job of exposing ALL of the places where taxpayers are hit by special fees and asessments- and their relevancy to the department which they're supposed to fund. It's proved that a few ferries that cross one body of water in western washington are heavily subsidized by people east of the cascades. It's proved that the high price people pay for liquor doesn't even come CLOSE to paying for the agency which controls it. They will still collect a more than fair price for vehicle registration.

In fact, I recall a washington gov't website, before the election, which was, IMHO, using trickery in their language to get people to vote against i695. The way they had the wording was that i695 would raise your license tab fees while saying nothing about the excise tax which was being cut. The statement ended up being decieving, but technically true. The original license registration fee for vehicles in this state was, before i695, was about $24-$27. (Anyone feel free to correct). Everything else you were used to paying were actually add-ons, including but not limited to the excise tax which was based on the msrp of the vehicle.

-- Paul Oss (jnaut@earthlink.net), November 12, 1999.


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