Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever…
The Terminator, 1984
The State of Washington, reprising the role of the Terminator, is coming after your wallet again. Despite every indication to the contrary, the Legislature appears to be under the impression that Washington State voters will warmly embrace a hike in their vehicle license tab fees. This time the proposed fee hike is graduated depending upon engine displacement.
| Engine Size (in liters) | Fee Schedule |
| Up to 1.9 | $0 |
| 2.0 to 2.0 | $70 |
| 3.0 to 3.9 | $225 |
| 4.0 to 4.9 | $275 |
| 5.0 to 5.9 | $325 |
| 6.0 to 7.9 | $400 |
| 8.0 or over | $600 |
This schedule is obviously designed to discourage ownership of large vehicle by imposing crushing fees based on engine displacement. As the owner of a large vehicle, I’m more than a little annoyed. Yes, we do own the vehicle, but it’s driven less than 5,000 miles per year. Do you really think that it’s somehow harming the environment more than a car with a 2.0 liter engine that’s driven 20,000 miles a year?
But to get back to the Terminator, in 1999, Washington voters approved Initiative 695, which eliminated the excise tax on vehicle licenses and reduced the State’s portion of the fee to $30 (local agencies could still assess fees). Opponents of the measure sued and the Initiative was declared unconstitutional. Fearing a real taxpayer revolt, Governor Gary Locke and the Legislature quickly passed a law reducing the fee to $30. (Note: I’ve never actually paid $30 for my car tabs as there are various fees tacked on; however current license fees are generally well under $100.)
Then, in November, 2003, voters passed Initiative 776, which removed local fees from car licenses. Like I-695, I-776 was overturned by the State Supreme Court.
Despite the dismal record of these initiatives passing Constitutional muster, it should be quite apparent to the Legislature that Washington State residents really, truly don’t want to pay exorbitant fees to license their vehicles. Washington voters, I urge you to read the text of the bill and contact your representatives to voice your objections.
it's only words 
Now that’s really irritating. That’ll cost me at least $995.00 a year more in fees (only two of the four I’d have to get tabs for are “large”, the van and the truck, but they’ve got small motors). I
think that’s enough to convince me to buy trip permits for those few times I drive my corvette (a weekend or two during the spring and summer). $375.00 for a 350 ci V8? Driven on weekends? vs. $25.00 for a three day permit?
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I can’t believe the audacity of these idiots!! Regardless of what the media and government call it, we are in a depression. They just refuse to call it what it is, so they say “recession”. Same way they’d like the wool to be pulled over our eyes about the misinformation they give regarding the percentage of unemployment, which is actually much higher than they say, because they only report the people still eligible to collect.
This is extortion. Rather than offering viable alternatives in vehicles, (flex fuels are a stop gap measure, to keep us tied to gas, rather than hydrogen, which burns emission free even in the biggest of cars), they want to add to the burden of every day life. Next, they’ll want to attach meters to our asses, and tax us for producing harmful greenhouse gasses, every time we fart!
These people need to have their heads examined, and definitely need to be removed from their positions in government.
So to sum it all up, we’re stuck with big oil companies, because they refuse to give us alternatives that work, and are long term, but they then want to tax us on those same vehicles, because they burn the fuels of their choice? Unconstitutional laws are ruining this country quickly.
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