Sound Transit collects voter-approved property tax, sales tax, and car-tab taxes, which increased in 2017 after voters passed Sound Transit 3. Tim Eyman’s Initiative 976 seeks to repeal the car-tab tax portion, currently $110 per $10,000 of vehicle value, as computed off a state schedule that overvalues newer cars. We’ve rebuilt our 2016 ST3 calculator to reflect updated tax figures and the overall ST 1-2-3 totals. Of the totals, 8⁄11 of the car-tab tax, 5⁄14 of the sales tax and the whole property tax shown resulted from ST3.
By Mike Lindblom
Published October 12, 2019
To find your household’s estimated tax for Sound Transit:
Enter your assessed property value for the 2019 tax year, as shown on the notice mailed this summer by your county assessor.
Enter your household income to find an estimated sales-tax. These are derived from federal studies of consumer spending patterns, plugged into a Washington state government tax model, broken out by income bracket.
Enter the amounts listed as “RTA tax” on your vehicle registration certificate, to find a slightly lower figure when your car ages another year. You can also find the official amounts by entering your license plate number through the Department of Licensing website.