(The Center Square) – A Washington lawmaker wants to shore up the state’s transportation budget by gradually putting sales taxes on vehicles into the roads they’ll drive on.
New legislation for the 2025 session offered by Senator Curtis King, R-Yakima, would increase the percentage of vehicle sales taxes devoted to the transportation budget from only .03% by 16.66% every year until it reaches 100% in 2031. The general fund currently receives the lion’s share of the revenue.
The statewide motor vehicle surtax of 0.03% has been collected since 2003, and applies to all retail sales, leases and transfers of motor vehicles and is used to finance transportation improvements.
King offered up the proposal as a partial solution to Washington’s worsening transportation revenue problem, generating between $350 million to $400 million in the first year.
“That would go to $700 to $800 in the second year and to $1.2 billion in the third year and by the sixth year, it would all be coming back to the transportation budget,” said King.