Locke puts final nail in car tab saga

THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Saturday, March 2, 2002

OLYMPIAN -- Gov. Gary Locke signed the final repeal of the state's motor vehicle excise tax Friday, ending a saga that began with voter approval of Initiative 695 in November 1999.

After courts ruled I-695 was unconstitutional, lawmakers repealed the value-based car tax in early 2000.

But Thurston County Superior Court Judge Gary Tabor later ruled in a lawsuit brought by transit workers that the legislation setting car tab fees at $30 was defective.

Specifically, Tabor found the Legislature had failed to repeal the local-transit share of the tax.

The tax had amounted to about one-third of the excise tax, or about $45 a year for the average car.

The Supreme Court ruled last week that Tabor was right, which opened the door for the state Department of Licensing to begin collecting the tax on behalf of local transit agencies.

With Locke's action on Senate Bill 6036, which followed approval by large margins in the House and Senate, the law takes effect immediately.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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