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Steve Hobbs D-Lake Stevens trying to increase EV licensing by $200

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mike25

Member
Apr 9, 2016
74
56
Seattle
#1
In the name of a carbon initiative Steve Hobbs want to increase the EV licensing fee by $200 from the existing one of $150 (to $350 a year). Even with the proposed increase in gas taxes (6 cents) it will be considerably higher then an ICE doing 30 MPG pay over 10,000 miles ($145 vs $350).

The information about this plan is here:

Plan knots together carbon fee, gas tax and new US 2 trestle | HeraldNet.com

This seems backward...

The senator contact info is here if you want to let him know that this isn't right: Contact - Sen. Steve Hobbs - Washington State Senate Democrats
 
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#2
Proposed new gas tax would be $0.554/gallon. Proposed EV surcharge $350.

To pay $350 in gas taxes, you'd need to buy 631.7 gallons of gas. At 30mpg, that's just short of 19,000 miles.

We've averaged about 12K/year in our S over the last 3.5 years, and are on pace for about 8K/year for our 3. That's quite a penalty for choosing an EV.
 
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#3
Why don’t they charge all the developers adding houses everywhere in those outlining areas to fix those bridges? I know, we’ve got the same thing here. A new license tax on all vehicles so that the new homeowners across the river can get into town. Pay for the bridge yourself because you cross it twice a day while the rest of us barely use it once a month.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
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#4
This really is paying for two of the most egregious Washington state projects: Ferries and the Columbia River Bridge.

Ferries: "You chose to live on the other side of the sound to save hundreds of thousands of dollars on housing and taxes vs living in Seattle! And now you want me to make your commute cheaper too? Why should I pay hundreds of dollars more every month to avoid the ferry and pay for your ferry ride as well?"

I5 over the Columbia River: "So you want to live in Washington without an income tax, and then shop in Oregon without a sales tax. And now you want me to pay for a tax funded bridge to make your tax dodging trips into Oregon more convenient?" I imagine the congestion that most Washingtonians who aren't just tax dodging Portlandians care about in regard to Portland travel is the 24/7 backup at JBLM that can add hours to a weekend drive.

The Maltby to Monroe route though does need to be widened and would be pretty broadly beneficial route that would help take stress off of I5 south of Everett (which always has a large backup 24/7) and maybe direct some I-90 traffic onto US-2 taking some of the strain off of I-90.

Also "Widen Highway 12 between Wallula and Walla Walla" would make a lot of sense. Lotssss of traffic fatalities on that segment. Very windy stretch with ?one? stretch of passing lane for about 30 minutes. Get stuck behind a slow vehicle and you're going to be there for a long time or make a risky pass.
 
Last edited:
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#9
N8DGR8 said:
What happens if Tim Eyeman’s $30 tab fee goes through? Do these fees go away? I’m ok with the current fee, it is paying to build out charging infrastructure.
Click to expand...
If Eyeman's $30 tab fee goes through, the roads will be so congested and in such poor condition you won't be able to drive very far, very fast, and you'll never make it to 19K+ miles a year. /S

Serious answer: Eyeman's initiative wouldn't have an impact on this proposed fee, at least initially. Money for road construction and maintenance is going to have to come from somewhere though, so it will increase the pressure to raise the gas tax, which would increase the pressure to increase the EV surcharge to make up for not paying a gas tax. There's no such thing as a free lunch, and if the motor vehicle fund isn't getting money from car tabs, it's going to have to make up the deficit somewhere.
 
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#11
mike25 said:
In the name of a carbon initiative Steve Hobbs want to increase the EV licensing fee by $200 from the existing one of $150 (to $350 a year). Even with the proposed increase in gas taxes (6 cents) it will be considerably higher then an ICE doing 30 MPG pay over 10,000 miles ($145 vs $350).

The information about this plan is here:

Plan knots together carbon fee, gas tax and new US 2 trestle | HeraldNet.com

This seems backward...

The senator contact info is here if you want to let him know that this isn't right: Contact - Sen. Steve Hobbs - Washington State Senate Democrats
Click to expand...
Comments sent--talked about the proposed 133% increase to over what a normal gas tax would generate and how this is contrary to the Governors Green agenda.
 
#12
Comments sent

I mentioned how it will make some potential EV owners think twice about purchasing one. I get it that the money to maintain roads have to come from somewhere but I dont agree with the huge increase he is proposing. I would be ok with a reasonable increase though.
 
#13
PWlakewood said:
Comments sent

I mentioned how it will make some potential EV owners think twice about purchasing one. I get it that the money to maintain roads have to come from somewhere but I dont agree with the huge increase he is proposing. I would be ok with a reasonable increase though.
Click to expand...

Don't play the negotiation game.

The problem isn't the amount. The problem is that EV owners pay a fixed amount while gasoline car buyers pay based on fuel consumption as a proxy for whatever else they're measuring.
 
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#14
ItsNotAboutTheMoney said:
Don't play the negotiation game.

The problem isn't the amount. The problem is that EV owners pay a fixed amount while gasoline car buyers pay based on fuel consumption as a proxy for whatever else they're measuring.
Click to expand...

Its always a negotiation with politicians and they WILL find a way to come up with the money one way or another. I do not agree with the 200 though but like I said its expensive to maintain roads and the money has to come from somewhere. I do not however want to or think as an EV owner we should be taxed at a greater rate than the ICE owners.
 
#15
Tesla owners on average are better off financially than average. Being "rich" shouldn't we be taxed more heavily than average?

This year my registration is going up due to an EV surcharge, not so drastically, I am OK with it since I use the roads. I don't cry over paying road taxes on my lawnmower gas.

I really don't think 30mpg as your baseline is an intellectually honest number.
https://www.cars.com/articles/best-and-worst-gas-mileage-2017-1420693342478/

Most vehicles do not get that good a mixed mileage especially when you consider the average age of vehicles on the road is almost 12 years old.
 
#16
SSedan said:
Tesla owners on average are better off financially than average. Being "rich" shouldn't we be taxed more heavily than average?
...
I really don't think 30mpg as your baseline is an intellectually honest number.
https://www.cars.com/articles/best-and-worst-gas-mileage-2017-1420693342478/

Most vehicles do not get that good a mixed mileage especially when you consider the average age of vehicles on the road is almost 12 years old.
Click to expand...
This isn't a Tesla tax. This is an EV surcharge. Every EV, no matter what the selling price, would be subject to the same surcharge. Whether the car cost $35K or $135K, the surcharge would be the same. Whether the car is driven 5K miles a year, or 50K miles a year, the surcharge would be the same. I know teachers in my area who scrimped and saved and bought the most affordable Model 3 they could find, and physicians who own both a top of the line S and X. I also know Leaf and Bolt owners who are on military disability. Everyone would be hit with the same surcharge. If you're going to tie the fee to value, I would understand. I've actually lobbied to be taxed more for some things that are income based or property based. That's not what this is.

As to the 30mpg number. I don't think that comparing a new EV to the average 12 year old car is a good choice, either. I'm not aware of many owners of 12 year old cars being asked to pay a $350 EV surcharge. I used 30mpg in my numbers because cars that were similar in size to the S and the 3 are the Honda Accord and Civic, which do get mileage close to that. I deliberately didn't choose luxury cars for my comparison, but fuel efficiency was a concern when we started shopping for our S four years ago, and we did eliminate from consideration cars with poor fuel mileage.
 
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