At 15,000 miles per year I'm better off with the flat fee. Long road ahead as Washington transportation officials recommend per-mile charge to replace the state’s gas tax
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Seattle area RTA registration tax
- Thread starter drawfour
- Start date
yeah but those of us who drive 7,500 miles shouldn’t pay the same if it’s truly road usage fees
hmmm. Even 2.4 cents per mile would be $180 if I drive 7,500 miles a year. That’s an absurd amount. That had to be WAY higher than the gas tax is now.
Once again, their calculations are off. They say 2.4 cents per mile is equivalent to 49.4 cents per gallon. 2.4 cents per mile for 7500 miles is $180. For a 30 miles per gallon vehicle, 250 gallons with a 49.4 cent gas tax is $123.50
It will probably take a year or two of mileage fees just to pay for the collection system and 50% in subsequent years will go to the collection company. I think sticking with the fee is the way to go. It should get reduced 50% every 5 years. Maybe different tiers based on size, weight, range, or sales price. I’m also assuming electric vehicle price points drop below gas vehicles and there is no gas tax to collect. Otherwise just raise gas taxes and stop gouging EVs.
the 150 tax assumes you drive the car at least certain amount each year. you are better off buying a (nasty) gas car if you don't drive ~ 10k miles each year.
i was looking at the RTA boundaries and there is some serious issue there. it literally cuts through communities in the middle randomly. whats up with that? Anyone know how they decided the boundaries to the north, east and south?
i was looking at the RTA boundaries and there is some serious issue there. it literally cuts through communities in the middle randomly. whats up with that? Anyone know how they decided the boundaries to the north, east and south?
I'm so confused by the my RTA Excise tax calculation...
I have 2018 LR RWD and my amount is $563. I called into see what MSRP they are calculating this off of and they told me $57k, which....makes no sense. They are clearly getting this number from the 2020 M3P
I looked up the generic vehicle MSRP that WA DOL has on file and it says my model should have MSRP of $49k:
With 2 years of service, it should have a 89% (LOLZZ) depreciation according to this: https://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/depreciation-schedule.html
This means my RTA tax should be $480 ($49000 X .89 X 1.1%) rather than $563. However, when I put my VIN # in, it tells me that my 2018 Tesla Model 3 (no trim is specified) owes the $563 amount.
Don't get me started on how I bought this vehicle for $36.8k and these amounts cited are ludicrously unrepresentative. Even using their numbers, this RTA tax amount does not compute.
Anyone have a similar issue and how did you resolve this mismatch?
I have 2018 LR RWD and my amount is $563. I called into see what MSRP they are calculating this off of and they told me $57k, which....makes no sense. They are clearly getting this number from the 2020 M3P
I looked up the generic vehicle MSRP that WA DOL has on file and it says my model should have MSRP of $49k:
With 2 years of service, it should have a 89% (LOLZZ) depreciation according to this: https://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/depreciation-schedule.html
This means my RTA tax should be $480 ($49000 X .89 X 1.1%) rather than $563. However, when I put my VIN # in, it tells me that my 2018 Tesla Model 3 (no trim is specified) owes the $563 amount.
Don't get me started on how I bought this vehicle for $36.8k and these amounts cited are ludicrously unrepresentative. Even using their numbers, this RTA tax amount does not compute.
Anyone have a similar issue and how did you resolve this mismatch?
Yea I called in again and got a nicer DoL rep who said she "filed a review". She warned me that "if the MSRP comes out higher than we have though, you will have to pay that amount". I tried to tell her that's impossible since $57k is already higher than any M3 MSRP today (i get that the Performance was more expensive in the past).
I also called Tesla Bellevue and they said they would talk to their DoL team but of course have not heard back.
However, I looked at my purchase agreement and I believe I know what the Bellevue office did. I paid everything and then a day or 2 before my pickup they told me I owed ~$88 which confused me but I just paid it. When I checked my registration from last year it looks like they based my MSRP on exactly what was quoted on the Monroney sticker included in the car which includes $49k (MSRP quoted in DoL database for 2018 LR RWD) for Model 3 + Long range (not broken out with $35k for base) and then options (MSM paint, 19" sport wheels, and $5k EAP -which i don't have because I bought used from Tesla so that is impossible, it's AP only). So basically, they calculated my RTA on the full price w/ options, including options I do not have like EAP.
I will update here when I hear back from DoL on the review and/or Tesla. So annoying that I have to figure this out. They both acted like this incorrect MSRP NEVER happens but a quick google seems to disprove that... Washington issues more refunds after drivers overcharged for car tabs
Sounds like you may already know this, but they are supposed to use the base MSRP “excluding any optional equipment” per RCW 82.44.041(3). Note that this RCW was replaced years ago, but it’s the one that the RTA valuation and depreciation schedule is based upon per Sound Transit 3.
https://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/docs/rcw82-44-041.pdf
I think the only gray area is whether LR, AWD, and P are options or not (they've done it both ways). Wheels, paint, and EAP/FSD are definitely options that should be excluded.
Yea, exactly. Originally, those who purchased 2017-2018(?) were still being charged based on $35k base MSRP despite what model (LR,AWD,P). I can confirm my buddy who purchased in 2018 is being charged based on $35k despite having the same 2018 LR RWD that I have. Today, based on DoL's own MSRP lookup tool, I should be charged based on a $49k MSRP which honestly, would be fine with at this point.
The boundary seems bizarre to me. I have a friend in Sumner that pays the tax, while in Maple Valley I’m much closer to the main service area and yet don’t pay the tax.How far to get to an unincorporated territory?
Sumner has a Sound Transit Sounder commuter rail station, so that's why it's in the district. They even have a project to add a parking garage there.
System expansion | Sound Transit
Here's a map of the RTA district:
Sound Transit Address Determinations
I am curious if new garages will continue to be built with the increased telecommuting that may stick
Do you know how the boundary was established? I wasn’t living in the area at the time. I’m surprised it doesn’t match the growth boundary more closely.
The RTA boundary was a creature of politics, designed to allow construction of Sound Transit's system via voter approval, sufficient tax receipts, and a more-or-less rational service area.
In Snohomish County, they kept the RTA boundary more closely connected to Everett and the communities heading south to Seattle (Edmonds, Mukilteo, Lynnwood, etc.) because the main goal was light rail to Everett, and at the time Marysville and other points north were small.
Pierce County decided to include pretty much everything they could to be able to collect more taxes, figuring (rightly) that pro-transit voters in King County would offset the likely No votes in rural Pierce County.
In King County the RTA boundary more or less tracks the urban growth boundary, but excludes the non-contiguous UGA cities like North Bend, Duvall, Enumclaw, etc., as well as Covington, Maple Valley, and Black Diamond because at the time (early 1990s) they were considered more like the non-contiguous cities.
iamec
Member
Just wanting clarification... is RTA tax based on base pricing or configured pricing? In other words, without or with the options/software.
It should be on MSRP w/o options. However, my RTA has been calculated w/ options and software and I’ve been unsuccessfully trying to appeal it for months with no luck.
Similar threads
