WA State considers displacement tax

[balthazar]

Apparently this "never made it out of committee", but here's what was proposed:

>>There is a bill that the Washington State Legislature is trying to pass

in Olympia that, if successful, will directly add huge costs to our

vehicle license fees. The bill was SB 6900 and it adds an

"engine displacement" fee to the vehicle license tabs upon renewal.

Engine Size (liters) Rate Schedule

Up to 1.9 : $0

2.0 - 2.9 : $70

3.0 - 3.9 : $225

4.0 - 4.9 : $275

5.0 - 5.9 : $325

6.0 - 7.9 : $400

8.0 or over : $600

Here's the web page for the bill where you can read the text:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summ...6900&year=2007<<

Oooo... it's so European..., it's gotta be 'right'!

No doubt this will crop up again at some point in another state...

Edited February 29, 2008 by balthazar

[Intrepidation]

f@#kers.

[VenSeattle]

I was complaining about it in this topic... There was an emission penalty to go along with it...

So, it's not going to pass? The link doesn't work for me. Is it trying to link to same place as mine?

[Lamar]

f@#kers.

I didn't wanna be the one to say it, but

[thegriffon]

I was complaining about it in this topic... There was an emission penalty to go along with it...

So, it's not going to pass? The link doesn't work for me. Is it trying to link to same place as mine?

The emission penalty is a better idea, but either is better than CAFE. Of course it may be better to have it linked to mileage as well. $X per 1000 miles, with X dependent on the average emission rating for your vehicle.

[NOS2006]

So is it cheating if you stroke out your LS1?

Edited February 29, 2008 by NOS2006

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

That's cool...

But I'll guarantee you this: If I ever have to pay a stupid tax like this, I'll be driving (And encouraging everyone I can to drive) my large displacement, environment killing, death to earth dealing, gas hog every damn day, every where I go. If I'm going to pay for it, then I'm going to use it.

Then we'll see what our environment looks like in 20 years (Now that the poor and middle class have been priced out of new cars)

Part of me seriously wishes this planet would just die already.

[regfootball]

simple. dont buy new cars. starve states of the sales tax $$$$ on a new rig. drive the old rig, pay the penalty, and pollute like heck and use all the gas you want. have fun in the process!

Edited February 29, 2008 by regfootball

[Robert Hall]

Part of me seriously wishes this planet would just die already.

I heard on the news today that scientists believe the world will end in about 7 million years (earth will burn up from solar radiation). So there's plenty of time. Go green, buy a Prius, live long and prosper.

[David]

So is it cheating if you stroke out your LS1?

Hell no, they can not tell the differance if you stroke it out. To the untrained eye, my 5.7 is still the same engine in my suburban, course I have it stroked out to a 402 and that makes my SUV fly.

I love living in Seattle, but the Greenies in Olympia are starting to get to the point where we need to bump a few of them off. Keep you damn hands off my engine size.

[VenSeattle]

simple. dont buy new cars. starve states of the sales tax $$$$ on a new rig. drive the old rig, pay the penalty, and pollute like heck and use all the gas you want. have fun in the process!

See, I've come to a similar conclusion... kind of...

Current buyers of "new" vehicles, "newish" vehicles, or even vehicles currently being leased may be compelled to just pay off the car and keep it for several years since almost 100% of the new cars out that are $20k+ will demand one or both penalty taxes regardless. No one wants to calculate an additional $800-$1,000 into annual ownership costs along with increased insurance rates, increasing gas prices, and then figure out what the new car payment will be in addition to it all.

This will also prevent those who couldn't afford new before from affording new now. They'll be stuck paying the huge penalty for their older used car crippling them even more from being able to afford something that's LEV+ rated with possible better MPG.

I'm not as upset at the cost as I am at the reason behind it. It's being used to "artificially" increase the cost of car ownership to force people out of them... or at least into something much much smaller. I personally don't think that's the government's place, especially when they're actively changing standards that the manufacturers must reach (for supposedly the same purpose.)

This action would negatively impact most of the requirements being enforced by CAFE and also impact the marketability of accomplishments being made in the process. This isn't something that only GM needs to worry about but all manufacturers. But to use GM as an example... Even if GM could make the 4.6l Northstar V8 achieve 35mpg or better, the owner of that car in Washington would still be penalized hundreds of dollars regardless of GM's accomplishments for CAFE. It deliberately attacks the market of such vehicles regardless of their efficiency.

It's almost as if both the Federal and State governments are trying to force automobile manufacturers out of existence.

[loki]

It's almost as if both the Federal and State governments are trying to force automobile manufacturers out of existence.

or at least 51% of them.

[balthazar]

>>"I heard on the news today that scientists believe the world will end in about 7 million years (earth will burn up from solar radiation)."<<

Did you also catch that we have plenty of time to address this, "but we need to start now"? Some poor dumb Fs will actually be giving donations to the 'Correct the Earth's Orbit Fund'.

I need to come up with a scam of this magnitude...

[zhawk]

simple. dont buy new cars. starve states of the sales tax $$$$ on a new rig. drive the old rig, pay the penalty, and pollute like heck and use all the gas you want. have fun in the process!

This wasn't supposed to be only one new cars. It was to be a fee you paid EVERY TIME you renewed you tabs. In other words, you would pay this every year unless you had collector plates, then it would be once every seven years. This idea was insane.

My car club did a letter/email campaign to fight it, and I now a lot of other enthuiasts did as well. Thankfully, this idea is dead, for now. Probably some idiot in Oly will try to bring it back.

I shudder to think what I would have to pay.

2000 Cavalier Z24 - $70.00

2000 Corvette - $325.00

1999 Silverado - $325.00

1995 Camaro Z28 - $325.00

1989 Camaro RS - $325.00

1987 Camaro IROC - $325.00

Thats $1695.00 every year plus another $650.00 (71 Camaro and 72 Skylark) when I have to renew my collector plates.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

It's almost as if both the Federal and State governments are trying to force automobile manufacturers out of existence.

Yep... I've been saying that for... 5 years now?

[Teh Ricer Civic!]

So uhm, lets say i have a 4.1L engine, but i decide to take it down to 3.9L and proceed to increase the redline and generally make the car less fuel efficient... that means i can pay lower taxes on it?