CA Vehicle Registration Fee: Big Tax Hike Proposed (San Diego, San Francisco: sales, 2014)

[USDefault]

California has some of the highest car taxes and fees in the nation, including DMV registration and renewal fees. Proposition 30 wasn't nearly enough for this bankrupt state. Get ready to pay even more with this massive (and regressive) tax hike:

Group eyes tax measure to repair California's roads, bridges

One of California’s leading transportation advocates announced plans in San Diego on Monday for a possible state tax measure that, if approved by voters, would raise $3 billion annually to fix the Golden State’s deteriorating roads, highways and bridges.

Will Kempton, the former head of Caltrans who now leads Transportation California, a nonprofit transportation advocacy group, said the initiative would ask voters as early as November 2014 to increase vehicle registration fees gradually over four years. Car owners pay 0.65 % of their vehicle’s value annually. That rate would rise incrementally to 1.65 % over four years, he said.

"Our (transportation) infrastructure is crumbling," Kempton told a large gathering of transportation industry officials at the Focus on the Future conference, held at the Westin Hotel. "We need to make an investment as soon as possible. It's only going to get more expensive as time goes on."

Kempton and others said much of the concern over transportation funding comes from the ending of Proposition 1B funds. That measure, approved by voters in 2006, has paid for more than $19 billion in bridge, tunnel and highway improvements across the state. . . .

The measure is co-sponsored by Transportation California and the California Alliance for Jobs, which represents more than 2,000 heavy construction companies and 80,000 union construction workers across the state.

DMV Fee Hike

From .65% of your vehicle value to 1.65% of your vehicle value, every single year: a 154% increase in vehicle use taxes. This will smash working families and the middle class, an unavoidable tax increase they can't escape since they need reliable transportation for work and family.

[cb73]

The 1.65% will still be less than the 2% that was charged for years, but the other fees (county, CHP, registration, SMOG district, fingerprint fees, etc.) have skyrocketed in the last few years, so the increase to 1.65 will cause your registration to be a lot higher than when it used to be 2%.

Interesting to see whether it passes or not. With the construction unions behind it, there will be some serious money thrown at the campaign.

[Malloric]

I'd rather see the gas tax raised, but whatever. As long as it's money that will go to road infrastructure I pretty much support anything. Bonus that it's being levied against drivers. The advantage of a vehicle tax is, of course, that it's far more progressive than a gas tax is since wealthy people tend to own more expensive cars. Your $50,000 BMW is going to get hit a lot harder than your $5,000 Corolla. A gas tax would hit them more evenly. I mean, of course the Corolla gets better gas mileage but it's not 10x as good.

[Des-Lab]

Taxes, taxes, and more taxes. I mean forget this claptrap about spending better with existing monies, cutting waste, etc. This is California and ever spiraling fees and taxes are just a small price that we should be willing to pay for the privilege of driving around in this land of nice weather, tasty fish tacos, Mongolian Art museums and interracial dating.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by USDefault

From .65% of your vehicle value to 1.65% of your vehicle value, every single year: a 154% increase in vehicle use taxes. This will smash working families and the middle class, an unavoidable tax increase they can't escape since they need reliable transportation for work and family.

Must have some questionable spending habits if all these fine folks will get "smashed" by an increase from .65% to 1.65%. Seems they use the roads that are crumbling under their weight, no?

[USDefault]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Must have some questionable spending habits if all these fine folks will get "smashed" by an increase from .65% to 1.65%. Seems they use the roads that are crumbling under their weight, no?

The only questionable spending habits are California and federal government politicians. The endless tax and fee burdens force more young families to flee. This latest tax increase proposal is but one of many. The forced extraction of dollars from your wallet knows no end in California. No end. Did I say "forced extraction"? Pardon me, "revenues," as stupid politicians like to say.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by USDefault

The only questionable spending habits are California and federal government politicians. The endless tax and fee burdens force more young families to flee. This latest tax increase proposal is but one of many. The forced extraction of dollars from your wallet knows no end in California. No end. Did I say "forced extraction"? Pardon me, "revenues," as stupid politicians like to say.

Well then, stand your ground, bear your arms, and fight. Brave quixotic tragicomedies make for great vids.

[Mack Knife]

Originally Posted by Malloric

I'd rather see the gas tax raised, but whatever. As long as it's money that will go to road infrastructure I pretty much support anything. Bonus that it's being levied against drivers. The advantage of a vehicle tax is, of course, that it's far more progressive than a gas tax is since wealthy people tend to own more expensive cars. Your $50,000 BMW is going to get hit a lot harder than your $5,000 Corolla. A gas tax would hit them more evenly. I mean, of course the Corolla gets better gas mileage but it's not 10x as good.

Ah the progressive view.

Did you ever think that gasoline is used far more often by the large engined BMWs and other luxury cars than the economy cars others drive? Progressive what?

As for money going into road infrastructure, why is it that some are always up for a tax or fee increase for road maintenance and never ask where all the money went that was supposed to fix the roads in the first place?

The typical let's move on crowd, never ever holding anyone accountable but always in a hurry to move on because something is now bad.

No wonder mistakes are repeated, no one stops to learn from them nor hold anyone accountable for them.

Require politicans in California to drive around in economy cars and instead of flying from Sacramento to a city like San Francisco, (90 miles away) make them drive.

Yeah, lets increase the registration fees and help reduce auto sales in the state right? It goes to more than that. Bigger ticket vehicles like RVs, trucks and so on will just get bought out of state. There are all kinds of ways around registration.

Then add in illegal immigrants who don't even register their cars and abandon them when ticketed/towed. Who pays for that?

There are larger metro areas like the SF Bay Area that are starting to be too expensive for most people to work in, not because of anything but transportation costs. Bridges are rapidly heading to $10 per trip all because of deferred maintenance (they didn't defer spending the money though), insane parking fees and with one exception, the highest gasoline prices in the country. It doesn't take too long before that $1000 a month transportation cost (not including the car payment or insurance) will cause people to simply not work and go on public assistance.

They then become voters who vote for any politician promising more assistance. What a racket.

There are fewer and fewer middle income people in California able to subsidize the mistakes of self serving politicans and the needy who always need more.

[Ultrarunner]

The registration on my 1985 Chevrolet that I drive under 4,000 miles yearly is still almost $200.

A friend in Oregon pays next to nothing for his 1986.

I previously kept 13 vehicles registered... when the nonsense started adding all the fees... I went non-op on all but 3...

[Malloric]

Originally Posted by Mack Knife

Ah the progressive view.

Did you ever think that gasoline is used far more often by the large engined BMWs and other luxury cars than the economy cars others drive? Progressive what?

BMW 7-series gets, what, 19-20 mpg costs ~$100,000.
Toyota Corolla gets, what, 30 mpg, costs $15,000.
Yup. It's progressive.

As for money going into road infrastructure, why is it that some are always up for a tax or fee increase for road maintenance and never ask where all the money went that was supposed to fix the roads in the first place?

That's certainly a part of the problem. The problem however remains that we spend far, far more on roads maintenance and construction than we collect in gas taxes. Most of the missuse wtih gas taxes is really at the federal level where they're used for deficit reduction, public transit, etc.

Yeah, lets increase the registration fees and help reduce auto sales in the state right? It goes to more than that. Bigger ticket vehicles like RVs, trucks and so on will just get bought out of state. There are all kinds of ways around registration.

No problem. We charge the registration on out of state vehicles when they're brought in. I'd be for increasing the penalty for law breakers.

Then add in illegal immigrants who don't even register their cars and abandon them when ticketed/towed. Who pays for that?

Auction the vehicles off, that solves that problem. Given, they're not worth much. Stricter enforcement and allowing illegal immigrants to register vehicles, buy insurance, and get licenses (done, done, and done) would help. Those that choose to break the law should have the vehicles impounded, fees charged, and if they go unpaid the vehicle sold off.

There are larger metro areas like the SF Bay Area that are starting to be too expensive for most people to work in, not because of anything but transportation costs. Bridges are rapidly heading to $10 per trip all because of deferred maintenance (they didn't defer spending the money though), insane parking fees and with one exception, the highest gasoline prices in the country. It doesn't take too long before that $1000 a month transportation cost (not including the car payment or insurance) will cause people to simply not work and go on public assistance.

Many people in the SF Bay Area don't need to drive and get to work on public transit.

There are fewer and fewer middle income people in California able to subsidize the mistakes of self serving politicans and the needy who always need more.

Yup, that's why we should charge usage fees like gas taxes and vehicle registration fees and bridge tolls rather than just relying on income tax on the higher income people to subsidize it for everyone else.