Rep. Judy Clibborn
Today Rep. Judy Clibborn released her draft transportation package (read more from The Seattle Times).
Cascade thanks Rep. Clibborn for getting this conversation started; Washington needs additional transportation investment and her draft proposal includes some investments we support.
However, the package is still a long way from meeting our state’s diverse and most critical transportation priorities.
The package does not sufficiently provide for the basic needs of our communities: maintaining our existing roads, providing options for those who cannot or choose not to drive, and giving everyone safe places to walk and bike. It does, however, dedicate billions of dollars to hugely expensive highway expansions.
The package’s proposed bike excise tax ($25 on sales of bikes costing more than $500) would harm hard-working small business owners. Most such bikes are sold by small family-owned bike shops and this would impose red tape and costs for them while creating virtually no revenue.
People who bicycle already pay substantial taxes for our transportation system, including the sales taxes, property taxes and federal taxes that together cover two-thirds of all transportation spending in Washington. Bicyclists who own cars also pay the same car tabs as everyone else even if they drive less.
Unfortunately, the package almost completely ignores bicycle and pedestrian investments. Given the benefits people on bicycles provide to the rest of the transportation system by taking cars off the road, this is short-sighted.
A more detailed letter about our funding requests is posted at Transportation for Washington.
Cascade Bicycle Club looks forward to working with Rep. Clibborn and other stakeholders to craft a transportation revenue package that works for all of Washington.
Lots of conversation about this happening on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CascadeBicycleClub/posts/257107484424389
@cascadebicycle LOL bike tax.
So is there going to be an excise tax on cars over $1,000? We already get hit with a sales tax! We need support and tax breaks!! Not attacks. This is totally wrong!
A $25 bike fee is another amazing great idea as a way of getting money from the least who can afford it. Along with that great idea…let’s put a fee on shoes and socks. Those who walk are taking up a lot of space on the sidewalks that cost us millions to construct. We need to get the money back some how…put a fee on those that walk. ANd let’s not forget the toll booths on all the walking/biking trails. We just can’t let the masses use the infrastructure that they moved here for, paid for with property taxes, and fought to get for free. If a bike tax is implemented, I think we should put a tax on all polititions for being completely stupid. That should be against the law.
[...] Cascade Bicycle Club: Draft transportation plan includes bicycle tax. [...]
[...] Manvel, writing for Seattle’s Cascade Bicycle Club, says the tax, which is expected to raise just $1 million per year, is misplaced: The package’s [...]
[...] bicycle tax makes no sense for many reasons, several of which Cascade points out and a few of which I will get into below. But the most important reason is that bicycling actually [...]
If this bike tax were to pass in its present form, you would suddenly see bike shops selling individual components (not a whole bike) and assembling them for free. Not a lot different than what many do already. Besides, that’s what sales tax is for!
Today Rep. Judy Clibborn released her draft transportation package in which she wants a punitive bike tax of 25.00 on bicycles over 500.00 , we feel this is a bad legislative proposal and will be posting our thoughts on it soon . for now see
http://blog.cascade.org/2013/02/bike_tax/
[...] blogs have sounded off on the proposal, all questioning the reason for the bike tax. I would love to hear your opinion. [...]
[...] Manvel, writing for Seattle’s Cascade Bicycle Club, says the tax, which is expected to raise just $1 million over 10 years, is misplaced: The [...]
[...] Manvel, a author for Seattle’s Cascade Bicycle Club said, “The package’s due bike dig taxation ($25 on sales of bikes costing some-more than [...]
[...] “People who bicycle already pay substantial taxes for our transportation system, including the sales taxes, property taxes and federal taxes that together cover two-thirds of all transportation spending in Washington,” said Evan Manvel, a writer for Seattle’s Cascade Bicycle Club. [...]
That will be great for my 8″ travel downhill bike that never sees pavement.