Sen. T & # 39; wina Nobles, D-28
From Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Washington State Senator T & # 39; wina Nobles has won another victory for the working class as the Senate funded a working group to explore alternative payment options for car bag fees in their transportation budget for 2021-23.
The proposal to offer a payment plan arose in a bill proposed by Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Tacoma) to provide relief to people who have difficulty paying their auto tab fees at a flat rate.
As a result of Nobles' efforts, the Senate allocated $ 250,000 to set up a Vehicle Registration Payment Working Group that will examine and recommend new options for paying vehicle fees or taxes due at the time of vehicle registration filing.
"Community members have had to make extremely difficult decisions because they can't afford to pay the fees all at once," says Nobles. "At the same time, they can't afford not to pay the fees because they don't want to risk driving to work, the grocery store, or a doctor's appointment with expired tablets."
The working group consists of the following members: a representative of the registration department, a representative of the accountants of the district, a representative of the subagents, a representative of the local tax authorities who collect a fee or tax at the time of the vehicle registration application; a city representative offering or considering a rebate program for vehicle fees or taxes due at the time of vehicle registration application, a vehicle owner representative who is subject to a motor vehicle excise tax, a vehicle owner representative who is subject to an electric car, or a transportation electrification fee and an advocate for multimodal code transportation options.
The working group will engage with members of the public interested in new options for paying fees or taxes for vehicle registration, including those from color communities, vulnerable populations, displaced communities, and low-income households.
"We also can't forget that vehicle renewal fees fund critical community investments in transportation," says Nobles. "This working group will enable us to receive community input and to work with those affected on a balanced approach."
The working group's recommendations must include: Options to provide discounts or incentives to vehicle owners who pay taxes and fees due at the time of vehicle registration. They must have an agreed service fee structure for payment plans for vehicle registration and an agreed method of apportioning the service fee. A method that agents and subagents can use to determine whether a vehicle owner has paid all taxes and fees due before a vehicle registration is renewed. Options to reduce lost revenue due to missed payments, transferring certificate of ownership, or registering a vehicle out of state; and options to reduce the impact on color communities, low-income households, vulnerable populations, and displaced persons.
A report on the results and recommendations of the working group will be available to the legislature's transport committees by June 30, 2022.