Senate Bill 5448, introduced by Senator T’Wina Nobles (D - 28
th District), would create a payment plan for those who are unable to pay for the inflated car tabs that Sound Transit has assessed car owners in the Sound Transit Transportation Benefit District to fund the ST3 light rail expansion.
Voters passed the Sound Transit ballot measure, ST3, in November 2016. Subsequently, lawsuits were filed, and a voters initiative passed (I-976), repealing the high car tab taxes and challenging the car valuation formula Sound Transit used for the tax measure. The repeal by initiative was eventually ruled invalid by the Washington Supreme Court and never took effect. Most car owners in the Puget Sound area saw triple digit increases in car tab taxes.
The Washington Senate chamber sits empty before the start of the legislative session on January 11. Senate Democrats are taking the lead this year on a decade-long effort to pass a capital gains tax in Washington. Credit: Northwest News Network
WA Democrats push for capital gains tax in a year when tax doesn t seem like a bad word Mar 01, 2021
Even as the state of Washingtonâs revenue picture improves, majority Democrats in the Legislature appear committed to a course that will, one way or another, involve raising taxes this year.
Not necessarily to balance a recession-era budget, but instead to reform a tax code they view as regressive and to address gaps and inequities exposed by the global pandemic.
(MyNorthwest photo)
As she fought to unseat longtime Republican State Senator Steve O’Ban for the 28th Legislative district senate seat, T’wina Nobles made one of her top priorities very clear.
“I want to see relief in my community around car tabs,” Nobles said in an interview before the election.
“We have community members finding themselves choosing between annual vehicle registration and other essential bills,” she added.
Now, Nobles is making good on that promise by introducing a new car tab relief proposal in SB 5448. It’s not the $30 car tabs many in the state voted for in I-976, but the bill will offer some much-needed relief while ensuring vital transportation investments continue.
by Jasmyne Keimig • Jan 8, 2021 at 5:00 pm
2021 is already getting weird. Screenshot from TVWWhile the other Washington is still in the grips of dealing with the fallout of the siege of the Capitol building, legislators in our Washington virtually took their oaths of office this afternoon. Sponsored Tickets $15-$250. Aphrodesia delivery menu, incredible auction items, live streamed performances.
In three separate ceremonies, newly elected and reelected representatives and senators stood in front of their screens, held up their right hand, and promised to uphold the laws and constitution of both the United States and Washington state. It was a strange sight, but no stranger than the times we are living in.
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) Washington state will welcome several first-time lawmakers this year for the legislative session expected to begin Monday, including the state's first Black senator in 10 years. T’wina Nobles is scheduled to be sworn in as a state senator on Friday, and is expected to start her new role on Monday, KING-TV reported. “Being the only current Black member of the state Senate and the first in 10 years, means I have a great.