1.24.18
Suggested lead: Lawmakers in Olympia took a big step
toward providing relief for vehicle owners who were shocked by new car tab price
tags to help pay for Sound Transit projects .
Dan Frizzell has more.
Wrap (:69 total): It took an extra day, but Wednesday
morning House members said yes to a bill designed to give taxpayers in the Sound
Transit 3 area a break on their car tabs. The bill’s sponsor, Federal Way
Democratic Representative Mike Pellicciotti, said most constituents he’s heard
from don’t dispute that higher taxes are called for, and they’re looking forward
to the improvements that ST3 should bring.
What they do reject, he said, are the grossly inflated vehicle values
being used by ST3 to determine who owes what.
Here’s Pellicciotti.
PELLICCIOTTI: “In 2015 when this legislative body passed the transportation
package, it did not use the most current and accurate valuation system on the
books. It is past time to fix this issue and replace it with the most current
and accurate valuations system, and in the process return $780 million back to
taxpayers.” [:19]
Enough lawmakers agreed to give Pellicciotti’s bill a
bipartisan victory for the second year in a row.
The bill passed in the House last year as well, but was denied a Senate
hearing. With new Senate leadership
in place this year that problem seems unlikely to repeat itself.
In Olympia, I’m Dan Frizzell.