Smith on Politics: Eyman says opposition to car-tab fees killed King County transportation package

By Evan Smith

Initiative sponsor Tim Eyman, whose first victory 15 years ago used the slogan "$30 car tabs" to defeat the motor-vehicle excise tax, says that the inclusion of a $60 vehicle-licensing tax, along with a 0.1 cent per dollar increase in the sales tax, is what killed the King County roads and transit measure on the Tuesday, April 22 ballot.

Eyman said after the first votes were released that whenever voters have had a chance to vote on an extra fee to license their vehicles they have voted against it.

Eyman called car-tab-tax increases “an absolutely radioactive revenue source, adding, “Voters just hate 'em.

“Most of the campaign over Prop 1 focused on King County Metro's unsustainable spending,” he said. “And there's certainly good arguments for that. But this loss was baked in the cake the day they included higher car-tab taxes in the package.”

With more than 98 percent of expected votes counted, King County Transportation District Proposition 1 was losing by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin.