Seattle jumps on board the carbon footprint tax!

[Lauri]

Vehicle fuel efficiency is target of proposed tax
Cars blamed for global warming; Eyman fires back
By BRIAN SLODYSKO
P-I REPORTER

OLYMPIA -- Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, want car owners to warm to the inconvenient truth of cutting vehicle emissions.

And they're aiming for a place all drivers will feel it -- the pocket.

Senate Bill 6923 would impose a vehicle excise tax on all passenger vehicles based on EPA ratings of a cars' fuel efficiency. For example, the owner of a hybrid car such as, say, a Toyota Prius, would pay $60 in annual taxes, whereas the owner of a Hummer H3 would pay $180 a year.

"The (governor's) climate advisory team said that the biggest global warming problem in this state is actually from transportation," Murray said. "We have fairly clean industry, so we have to be careful that we don't get into the situation where we're punishing a few industries when the problem is actually the number of automobiles. This legislation finally takes into account global warming to the responsibility of owning a vehicle."

The tax would replace slumping revenue collected through the state's gas tax. Rising fuel costs have lured drivers from their cars while the increased popularity of gas-efficient vehicles has cut back on the number of trips drivers make to the pumps.

The money raised would be split between the state Department of Transportation and local governments, with 75 percent of the tax going to cities and counties and 25 percent going to the DOT for transportation projects, including "green" alternatives.

Commercial drivers would be exempt from the legislation.

It is unclear if the bill will be moved forward because it was proposed late in the session. The Legislature's cutoff date for new bills is Friday.

According to Craig Engelking, a lobbyist for the Sierra Club, even if the bill does not move forward, it will further green interests by initiating dialogue among legislators.

Hours after the bill was proposed, anti-tax advocate Tim Eyman was making the rounds, condemning Murray's efforts.

"How much is this going to cost taxpayers over the next 10 years?" Eyman asked. "Insanity seems to be in vogue in Olympia; this is just one more example of it."

If approved, the bill could hit lower-income drivers who cannot afford fuel-efficient cars hardest, with, by Nickels' estimate, a $113 average annual fee.

"Our state's tax system is enormously skewed so that lowest wage earners pay about 17 percent of their income in state and local taxes. Any proposal that treats all taxpayers equally just adds to that regressivity," said Christy Margelli, executive director of the Washington Tax Fairness Coalition.

Nickels said, in this case, there has to be more stick than carrot.

"When somebody invests the money in something that harms the rest of us in terms of putting the carbon into the atmosphere and exacerbating global warming, that behavior should carry a cost," Nickels said.

Murray proposed his bill as Gov. Chris Gregoire's Climate Advisory Team released its final recommendations for cutting greenhouse gases, including:


Charging road tolls, increasing parking costs and basing auto insurance rates on miles driven.


Requiring that vehicle fuel sold in the state releases lower levels of carbon dioxide.


Making railroad transportation more efficient.

P-I reporter Brian Slodysko can be reached at 360-943-8311 or brianslodysko@seattlepi.com.
Soundoff (187 comments)
What do you think?

so, as you can imagine.. people here are either up in arms or happy cause they have a bicycle and ride the bus.. 

[Attero Dominatus]

This does not surprise me: It IS the Peoples Republic of Washington after all. The theory of man-made global warming is nothing more than a scam for governments to tax everyone. 

[Chris_]

The tax would replace slumping revenue collected through the state's gas tax. Rising fuel costs have lured drivers from their cars while the increased popularity of gas-efficient vehicles has cut back on the number of trips drivers make to the pumps.

Here's the real reason for the tax.  People have cut back on gas purchases...the desire of the enviro-moonbats, but they didn't expect the tax income from that to decrease as well.  Unanticipated consequence???  DUH???  Idiots.
 

[DumbAss Tanker]

Great ammo for the next election cycle in the state.  Nothing gets Joe Sixpack out like adding a new tax that hits him personally, but next best is seeing one coming down the pipeline for everyone when it starts out in just the principal moonbat asylum for the state.

[Lauri]

The tax would replace slumping revenue collected through the state's gas tax. Rising fuel costs have lured drivers from their cars while the increased popularity of gas-efficient vehicles has cut back on the number of trips drivers make to the pumps.

Here's the real reason for the tax.  People have cut back on gas purchases...the desire of the enviro-moonbats, but they didn't expect the tax income from that to decrease as well.  Unanticipated consequence???  DUH???  Idiots.
 

and of course, they wont ever let us vote on this stuff..

i hope this helps stomp out Gregoire and all her moonbat friends out their in Olympia..

[Bondai]

The tax would replace slumping revenue collected through the state's gas tax. Rising fuel costs have lured drivers from their cars while the increased popularity of gas-efficient vehicles has cut back on the number of trips drivers make to the pumps.

Here's the real reason for the tax.  People have cut back on gas purchases...the desire of the enviro-moonbats, but they didn't expect the tax income from that to decrease as well.  Unanticipated consequence???  DUH???  Idiots.
 

and of course, they wont ever let us vote on this stuff..

i hope this helps stomp out Gregoire and all her moonbat friends out their in Olympia..

Never happen. I think the people in Olympia actually like being taxed.

[Lauri]

The tax would replace slumping revenue collected through the state's gas tax. Rising fuel costs have lured drivers from their cars while the increased popularity of gas-efficient vehicles has cut back on the number of trips drivers make to the pumps.

Here's the real reason for the tax.  People have cut back on gas purchases...the desire of the enviro-moonbats, but they didn't expect the tax income from that to decrease as well.  Unanticipated consequence???  DUH???  Idiots.
 

and of course, they wont ever let us vote on this stuff..

i hope this helps stomp out Gregoire and all her moonbat friends out their in Olympia..

Never happen. I think the people in Olympia actually like being taxed.

i was explaining this to a young leftie mom who lives across the street. they have a huge SUV and a mini van. our other neighbors have a prius.

young leftie mom says, "oh well, i think its great if it rewards the prius drivers and hurts the people who drive cars that get bad gas mileage"

so i ask, "how does your SUV do on mileage?"

she says, "oh its not good"

???

i thought the light bulb might go off over her head just seconds later...

i'm still waiting ..

[Ptarmigan]

This is like Indulgences. Many of these moonbats are spiritiaully void people. That's why they have to believe in Global Warming.

[VelvetElvis]

In the end it always comes down to money and power.
In the hands of the producers (conservatives) = Bad
In the hands of leftists = Good