$20 King County car tab hike to cover Metro may be coming

sonata said on June 21, 2011 at 3:36 PM

Oh, forget this! Why always put blame on car owners! Metro riders need to pay their OWN way!

kbbcoop said on June 21, 2011 at 11:35 AM

Half the buses I see out and about are empty with "Out Of Service" on their marquees. Heres an idea......slash public employees salaries and benefits and pensions!!!!!! DUH!!!!!!

mount1si1grad said on June 21, 2011 at 11:03 AM

If more service is cut, you will have a lot more people on the road and you will have to pay more in gas becuse of congestion, plus pay more for parking and so forth. No one likes tax increases but think of it as keeping congestion etc. down and some bad drivers off the road.

dea3761 said on June 21, 2011 at 9:08 AM

Metro Mafia

mac5226 said on June 21, 2011 at 8:48 AM

Sounds like they need to raise the bus fares. I'm going to have to start spending $7.00 a day in tolls to go to work across the 520 bridge in July and transit is exempt from the tolls. We have one of the highest gas taxes in the nation. I own a car so I need to be penalized again!?!? If it can't support itself, SHUT IT DOWN!

jeleda913 said on June 21, 2011 at 8:21 AM

Since they're talking budget cuts & tax hikes all over the place, why don't we get the ball rolling by cutting all ellected officials' salaries to minimum wage? After all, it's not as if most of them don't have other forms of income.

fwkc63 said on June 21, 2011 at 7:31 AM

WE NEED TIM EYMAN !!!!

baldeagle said on June 21, 2011 at 7:19 AM

Another thing, have you seen all the brand new buses on the road, there must be over a 100 new ones waiting to go into service and thats just at one bus depot. SPEND SPEND SPEND...

persnik said on June 21, 2011 at 6:42 AM

Metro needs to revisit their policy of fare evasions. Currently Drivers can only ask riders to pay three times-if they don't-they ride anyway. Make them pay thier own way!!

freedomfrank said on June 21, 2011 at 5:02 AM

Y'all taxed enough yet?

William_Stewcf8 said on June 21, 2011 at 3:46 AM

I dont have a beef in this tab bit now that i had moved out of horrible Seattle some 2 yrs ago down to Alabama where the sunshine is out all the time. 1 Seattle cops and the chief are stupid. 2 THE mayor of seattle is iggnorant. 3. If you own a house anywhere in the Seattle area very high in property tax. 4. I made it happen ya can to everybody leave Seattle lol hahaha. 5 Wether in Seattle really stinks. 5 lived in Seattle for 20 yrs im 42 now glad i moved out in 2009. HA HA. Seattle is falling apart people wake up and smell the coffee like i did. If for some reason this does pass i dont feel sorry for ya you dont like it move out of Seattle and the king county areas. quit complaning folks and stand up for your rights as a car or pickup owner. I drive a very nice pickup truck, the people here in Alabama would not put up with the BS ya got up there hahaha. Ok folks as a former Seattle light just something to think for ya up there, peace out.

waynecrankshaft0 said on June 21, 2011 at 12:46 AM

RAISE BUS FARE'S, CUT THE NUMBER OF RUNS PER DAY, IE. MORNING RUSH HOURS (6 TO 9 AM), A LUNCH HRS. RUN (11am TO 2pm), AND AFTERNOON RUSH HOUR (4 TO 7 PM), DURING OFF HOURS, MAYBE 1 BUS PER HOUR (IF NEEDED), THEN DON'T PAY DRIVER'S THAT AREN'T ACTUALLY DRIVING, SURE THE DRIVER'S WON'T LIKE IT, BUT THEY WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT (we the people) NOT A PRIVATE EMPLOYER, NO WAY THEY SHOULD DRIVE A BETTER CAR OR LIVE IN A BETTER HOUSE THAN THE AVERAGE TAX PAYER. .... THIS WOULD ALLOW FOR MORE A MAINTAINABLE BUS FLEET, PRODUCING LONGER BUS LIFE CYCLES, REPLACEMENTS WOULD BE NEEDED AT GREATER INTERVALS THAN NOW, SAY 12 TO 15 YEARS OF SERVICE INSTEAD OF THE CURRENT 5 TO 7 YEARS LIFE SPAN. ......................... OF COURSE WE STILL NEED TO VOTE OUT EVERY ELECTED OFFICIAL AND PROSECUTE,AND EXECUTE ALL OF THEM FOR CRIMES AGAINST THE TAXPAYERS, THAT'S US, WE, YOU AND ME !!!

invalid said on June 20, 2011 at 10:53 PM

I'll pay $20 a year to subsidize bus service when bus riders start paying $0.20 per ride to subsidize my vehicles.

seattle_fudge said on June 20, 2011 at 10:49 PM

Okay, to be fair, I'll change my statement to "MOST politicians don't know how to run a business."

useyourhead99 said on June 20, 2011 at 10:48 PM

Get out the knife and cut, cut ,cut-Just like everyone else!

seattle_fudge said on June 20, 2011 at 10:48 PM

I'm tired of King County and Seattle being run by people who think they can make better decisions with my money than I can. Fire 'em and bring in someone who knows how to run a business. Politicians don't know how to run a business, they don't live in the real world.

notsojoenavy6393 said on June 20, 2011 at 10:22 PM

Maybe if they stopped handing out food stamp debit cards to every scumbag and illegal immigrant in Washington State they could "cut some costs". I joined the military at 18 and served my country so that I could better my life and now I have to pay extra money so low lives can take the bus all day. Great. Just great.

baldeagle said on June 20, 2011 at 10:11 PM

This will no fix the problem, business is no-longer as usual. Time to cut the spending and the $100K Chiefs pay.

andyblue555 said on June 20, 2011 at 9:15 PM

Make Boeing and other corporations pay their taxes instead of asking the tax payers to make up the difference and you will be able to afford your polluting buses with their rude drivers. These buses do one hell of a lot more damage to the roads than my little car. Raise fares. Get the money from the bus users. Make the bike riders pay a tax too. I wont be voting for anyone currently on the Seattle and King County councils who are up for re-election. Their combined attack on people who own cars is ridiculous. That and their inability to demand police accountability is why they all have to go.

scarecrow93 said on June 20, 2011 at 7:41 PM

Temporary taxes aren't temporary...ever. Coming soon..."temporary" county income tax.

bigblue1518 said on June 20, 2011 at 6:21 PM

Fare not fair. nice typo.

bigblue1518 said on June 20, 2011 at 6:15 PM

I just can't figure out why they don't raise the fair. If you use the service pay for it! Don't look for handouts from everyone else to pay for your transportation. However, I don't have a dog in this fight. This is one of the 1000 reasons i live just over the boarder of King county and always will. Sno county politicians are not the best but they run circles around the tax and spend idiots in King county

paramountbacklot said on June 20, 2011 at 5:13 PM

It all gets down to THE DRINKER, THE SMOKER, AND THE DRIVER. Time for our government to start working smarter. This is rediculous.

gottabebacon said on June 20, 2011 at 5:08 PM

The only type of temporary tax has a specific sunset date on it and the voters ok any extension. Constantine's plan to impose the tax means only one thing, after the promised 2 years is up a reason will be found to extend it, and again 2 years later until they decide to make it permanent.

rite2post said on June 20, 2011 at 4:37 PM

@ au6892.. I don't mind helping the government at all, if I feel like our money is being properly stretched. I personally feel like the current government only has one solution when faced with a budget crisis, which is to tax the helpless citizens. Why not find out solutions, like pay cuts to our friendly bus drivers, or locating the cash leak in the system? We elect those people to be office to find solutions, not to find ways to tax us. Do you ever wonder how much cash is left from your paycheck after it's being taxed out?

au6892 said on June 20, 2011 at 4:01 PM

Ok people…most of the comments are “I don’t ride Metro so I shouldn’t pay”. Here is the same situation…I don’t have kids so why should my property taxes go to pay for your kids schooling? We are all a community and need to help each other out. I don’t like paying higher taxes but with everything going on with the economy we all need to suck it up…or how about everyone goes out and spend some money to help increase tax revenue. Also keep in mind…think about how much fun you’ll have sitting in your car with all the extra people on the road when they cut service.

mr_conservative said on June 20, 2011 at 3:48 PM

Glad I don't live in King County. Didn't we vote twice for $30 car tabs? The politicos just ain't gettin' it.

moorem01 said on June 20, 2011 at 3:20 PM

I've never ever paid the $30 car tabs....This is BS....Make the people who use it pay for it. After the two years are up will they drop the increase or will they decide to use it against something else like the money we paid for the baseball stadium that we paid off....Still wondering where they will put that to use...prolly thier padded pockets....

tugthug said on June 20, 2011 at 2:49 PM

King, Pierce, Snohomish and I think Thurston is the other county that do not have $30 dollar tabs that was voted in by the PEOPLE. The politicians screwed us by shoving the RTA tax down our throats dispite our vote. I feel like a second class citizen in King County than the rest of the state is treated. Seems like other parts of the state are doing fine and paying less. I want the $30 dollar car tags back so I can be treated like the rest of the counties in Washington State and Metro can charged the people who use public transportation more to use their service and not me. I forgot that the Mayor wants to charged $20 more for people who live in the city limits. I think Dow is banking on getting his share because he doesn't want to be left out. Vote these bums out next election! Quite talking and complaining, just do it! I am!

fwkc63 said on June 20, 2011 at 2:47 PM

I agree with blaze3016 !! I don't use the metro service so why in the he** should I have to fork out money!?!? Those that use it....charge them more money!! They get enough BS taxes from us as it is....NO MORE!!! YOU RIDE THE BUS...YOU COVER THE EXTRA CHARGE....NOT ME!!!

freemonttroll said on June 20, 2011 at 2:35 PM

While it seems insulting that the tax for mass transit would come from car tabs, the same is true for other things: i.e. Property tax paying for education, even if you don't have kids. However, most transit riders pay $5 for the ORCA card, seems that increasing the fee on the initial purchase of the card could help offset the increase on car tabs, this solution makes sense, bus riders pay their share, and non-bus commuters pay a little...

mrefs said on June 20, 2011 at 12:46 PM

I see you (king5.com) yanked the article before anyone had time to respond to(or see) my comment. You (king5.com) must support the $20 increase on car tabs and the dictatorship in King county.

mrefs said on June 20, 2011 at 11:31 AM

These ELECTED officials shouldn't be reelected. After the electorate makes their voices heard these jerks (elected officials) do what they want anyway. Safeco field was voted down but they built it anyway. Tim Eyeman got the $30 car tab iniative passed after we were paying $2,000 for new tabs every year for a new pickup truck. It'll be back up there before you know it. King County is not a democracy anymore people. It's time for you to wake up. That's one of the reasons we moved out of King County.

carmo said on June 20, 2011 at 11:03 AM

Here's another Idea,,, Start taxing all the out-of-state semis and big-rigs that use our highways for FREE. (our GOVERNER has a Bus that is licensed from Oregon) You can see them everywhere people, just start looking at all the license plates of the big container trucks you see on the roads, If they are from another state, they are NOT paying tax here. This also applies to state vehicles given to state employees who take them home everyday and use for personal use. Take all those vehicles away and have the state workers ride the Metro!

carmo said on June 20, 2011 at 10:48 AM

I Live in Pierce county where 6 routes are to be cancelled in October, leaving us here no way to get down the hill from Bonney Lake. Why should I pay for KING county transit? Why not have an increase to the Riders? Same with the ferries and rail users! I never use I90 ,520 or the narrows bridge so the tolls there don't affect me. GAWD!!! Enough already!

rite2post said on June 20, 2011 at 9:38 AM

I'm selling all of my cars, and getting me a bicycle

franky said on June 20, 2011 at 8:46 AM

Their timing on this is awesome. We were just forced in to a 20 dollar tax by the city.

skippypotpiebaby said on June 20, 2011 at 8:42 AM

Why more?

kingsolver1000rr said on June 20, 2011 at 7:20 AM

Hey Dow you frikin idiot here is a novel idea the people that use the transit pay for the transit!

flyinggaff said on June 20, 2011 at 6:47 AM

If you use the bus, you should be prepared to pay for your bus trip without subsidy from car tabs. Period. End of Story.

southlakeunion said on June 20, 2011 at 6:44 AM

Metro transit is already a waste of money... why give them more?

djan555 said on June 20, 2011 at 6:01 AM

metro service is horrible to begin with,i had to buy a car just to get to work on time. i live in auburn and commute to renton,its $2.50 each way not a big savings there. i would not vote to increase car tabs, because of the horrible service i cant ride the bus.buses are never on time,fare increases,never make connections,rude bus drivers. I say NO on the 20 dollar increase on car tabs!

southside253 said on June 20, 2011 at 5:59 AM

Pixalater...right on. These people need to get to work,store,play, by foot. Or ask their boss for a raise. Everyone should not be subsidizing Walmart employees, and other low paid employs getting to work. Let the shareholders of the billion dollar companies pay for transportation of their own workers instead. Or stop paying metro drivers 100k a year. Many ways to skin this cat, more tax in King county is not the answer.

pixelater said on June 20, 2011 at 5:46 AM

@noskills and pamby, someone that drives a newer or more expensive car has already paid higher taxes on the front end. Why should they be paying more for the same privilege of driving than you do? *** @jackwong, why should the general public have to pay for you to get to work? I drive 60 miles round trip to work. The bus doesn't work for me because I have tools for my trade. *** With the current rate of fuel I spent about $15 a day for fuel and another $12 a day for parking, and you think $5 a day for the bus is not fair. A typical bunch of left wing-nut liberals, looking for utopia and wanting someone else to pay for it.

blaze3016 said on June 20, 2011 at 5:43 AM

jackwong said : we need to pass this now because I need this service. OK if you need this service so bad then YOU should pay for it. Why should those who don't use it pay for you to use it. What do you pay, about 2.00 bucks one way? How about 10.00 each way? why not 75.00 for a week long pass. Do you really think king county will put that money into metro? He!! no they won't, it will go right into the general fund and you will never see it again. and metro will still be in the red...

maryannmarrs said on June 20, 2011 at 5:24 AM

So, we pay more in tabs to fund the busses. Then more people ride bus because they cannot afford to drive (they raise gas taxes, etc), then the revenue from the car tabs and gas taxes goes down, and they want to raise another tax to offset that loss. Then people revolt and refuse to raise more taxes, so they cut the transit service, causing more people to drive which raises more money that they can use on other stuff, since they've already cut the transits....sounds like a round-robin to get more taxes on the books, while offering less service to less people while accomplishing nothing else. So, let's just turn our paychecks over to the local, county, statet and the federal government every month to pay for all of the projects they want.......they'll just find a way to take it anyway. If not for transit, then for schools, or for police, or for jails (don't forget that these are the only things they ever threaten, so we feel bad enough to approve whatever they want).....

jackwong said on June 20, 2011 at 3:02 AM

A measely $20 could save Metro is definite slam dunk. We need to pass this now. I cannot lose my bus service which I rely on everyday to get to work.

pamby said on June 19, 2011 at 11:32 PM

I drive a 16 year old car. My tabs are affordable for me. But, why should someone with a 2011 or 12 pay the same tab fees?

goodness1329 said on June 19, 2011 at 11:24 PM

I thought we just passed a sales tax increase for King County Metro? Time flies though, maybe it was five years ago...........

07Altima said on June 19, 2011 at 10:42 PM

Why is it that our Government wants more in Taxes each year that turns out to be more than 3 times inflation, as it stands now, our State Government takes in the equivalent of 80% more over inflation in taxes than was taken in the 1940s meaning when our Road system was built they had less money to go around. How is it that in the 1940s they could afford to take less in taxes, do twice the work, get the Jobs done twice as fast, and have a better road system!!!!! I am tired of the Government making us pay more money, rather than addressing the waste, no one seems to want to hurt the little dogs who are cheating the system, or the big dogs who are padding their pockets. They would rather ask for a major increase in taxes in the worst recession in more than 60 years, I also have looked at the Budget did any of you notice that even though the economy is slow for us the Government is not getting a lot less in revenue. I find that just a little odd dont you!!!!!

rnl52 said on June 19, 2011 at 10:14 PM

@seattlelovemonger......I say license those NASCAR-clad spandex wearing rude lane-hogging cyclists....they think they own the road and will give no room to pass, and I drive a small car. @ccole...metro drivers make what they deserve..why don't you move to a "right to work for less" state, you are jealous. @bjnopak, pick a more simple name, without 8 numbers, for gawdsakes.......if you have kids, by your reasoning, I shouldn't have to fund the rug-rats education, you fox-nuze addict.

kamakazi33 said on June 19, 2011 at 10:11 PM

To all the haters out there that start out with...I don't ride the bus so why should I pay.....just remember that your also the person who's complaining about the traffic. Be thankful for bus riders, as it's more cards off the roads. When will some people realize that the bus system is one of the ways of confronting our biggest issue in America....our dependence on oil. I can't believe how many Seattle residents aren't willing to spend an extra $20 per year on our transit system. Get with the times. If you aren't already using public transit then your part of the problem and not the solution. Metro is already charging $2.50 per ride or $5.00 per day and raising the rate is not the solution.

ccole said on June 19, 2011 at 9:30 PM

The Metro drivers get paid $28 an hour.. I wonder how much their supervisors get paid? Give me a break! They need to cut expenses like the rest of us.

lhasamom said on June 19, 2011 at 8:59 PM

If they approve $20 this year, next year it will be $60 to offset something else. Raise the bus fare, not my tab fees

subaru said on June 19, 2011 at 8:22 PM

tax the bicycles , they want to be in the road make them get tabs

seattlelovemongr said on June 19, 2011 at 8:07 PM

lol......everytime an increase to motorist hardship happend....some knitwit redneck who most likey drives a Super Duty...pulls "cyclist must pay too"......lol...get this redneck Javajoe....no-where ...and I mean ...no where ...are cyclist made to licence bikes...any state ...any city...never happen....never will....so go ruin the enviroment more with your Ram 3500 or Hummer....

bjnopack12766500 said on June 19, 2011 at 8:07 PM

Metro needs to find funding elsewhere or like a previous poster mentioned, re-evaluate the routes. If I don't use Metro I shouldn't have to fund it. The governor and King County council has bankrupted this state and county enough.

noskills said on June 19, 2011 at 8:00 PM

I agree with a lot of people here about increasing the fares. However I was never a big fan of the "$30 car tabs" I never understood how it was fair for someone with a $100,000 car to pay the same amount to license that car as someone who has a $5000 car. That would be like saying Bill Gates should pay the same amount in property tax as someone who owns a $100,000 home.

collegekid said on June 19, 2011 at 8:00 PM

Since I never use the Metro system, I should not be forced to pay for it. Make the people who want to use it pay extra.

epicure43 said on June 19, 2011 at 7:45 PM

Metro, please understand we don't need buses running every 10 minutes anymore!! Folks need to stop relying on these massive sized vehicles for their personal taxi service. If the buses aren't full of passengers anymore, cut the routes down or just don't run the buses as often, simple economics. The airlines have had to do this same thing, less planes flying but more passengers per flight.

tugthug said on June 19, 2011 at 7:03 PM

Tough S**T! Mecro can kiss my A** and so can Dow and the King County Council. I'm tired of paying through the nose for car tabs when I don't even take the bus!. Times are tough so Metro needs to do what they have to do to make ends meet. Just like I do!

ohcriminy said on June 19, 2011 at 6:35 PM

I was sick of paying $500 every year for the monorail when I never rode it even once. They just felt free to stick that on my car tab. I never understood why they couldn't have just taxed everybody $1 per person, so that the other people who never ride the monorail could have paid for it... and caused it to be affordable. Now, they want to charge me money for riding a bus I will never ride? How about charging every county employee a tax rather than putting it on every else's car tab?

livinglife said on June 19, 2011 at 5:57 PM

I say they should up the fairs. why should people who dont use it have to pay!

javajoe said on June 19, 2011 at 5:48 PM

I say we go with $40 bicycle tabs.

rrh55 said on June 19, 2011 at 5:34 PM

It's doesn't matter how many council members approve the increase it's should still go to the voters. John Q Public is tired of politicians spending their money and crying for more when the budget is mismanaged. One of the major factors in founding this country was over taxation. If the politicians had the same medical benefits, the average salary of the area they represent and had to follow the same rules as the people they were ELECTED by; then maybe they'd be more sympathetic to the average Joe and the current state of the economy. Didn't the public vote to lower the cost of car tabs anyway?

finster said on June 19, 2011 at 5:29 PM

Why not raise the fare? Oh wait, that makes too much sense.

oldmossback said on June 19, 2011 at 5:18 PM

Just raise the ticket price -- 50 cents a week will do it. Already the additional tack-ons to car tabs are getting ridiculous.

agarmy said on June 19, 2011 at 4:49 PM

No DEAL! Tax the smokers, tax the drivers, this is getting insane. They are getting new busses, and are wondering where their money went? Hello! How about up the bus fare again? If they are using it, then they can pay for it. Then again, Most govt. offices provide bus passes/tickets for their employees who transit to work, so, from the right pocket to the left, right? Soon the taxes will be more than most people can afford. It says it will be for two years, but how long would it really be for?

thecrankster said on June 19, 2011 at 4:49 PM

Just take all my money now, whats with the piece meal?