Law & Order

WASHINGTON STATE CONSIDERS TAXING VEHICLE EMISSIONS

In an attempt to reduce motor-vehicle emissions, legislation has been introduced in the Washington State Senate to establish two separate progressive fees for state motor vehicles based on (1) engine size and (2) calculations of carbon emissions. These fees would be collected by the state at the time of initial vehicle registration and at subsequent renewals of registration.

If this effort is successful, the expense of driving a vehicle of choice in Washington could be substantial. The measure would tax vehicle owners with an engine size of 8.0L or more $600 at the time of registration or renewal. An additional tax of $600 would be assessed for vehicles emitting more than 362 g per mile of carbon dioxide. Smaller engine vehicles would be taxed at a lesser but still significant rate.

For more information click here. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.