Want To Avoid Car Tab Increases? There's A Loophole In State Law

PUYALLUP, WA - The voter-approved Sound Transit 3 tax increase has caused car tab renewal fees to skyrocket across Puget Sound since the tax went into effect in March. But the Seattle Times on Thursday reported on a loophole that allows some vehicle owners to avoid paying the ST3 tax altogether.

Passenger trucks weighing more than 6,000 pounds are exempt from all Sound Transit taxes, according to the report. Here's what the Times reported:

That weight standard was created long before voter-approved Sound Transit taxation began in 1997. It was apparently meant to protect small businesses from an old car-tab tax for highways. The same weight standard was extended to regional transit agencies in a 1990 state law.

So maybe think about ditching your little Hummer (the H3 model only weighs 4,900 pounds max) and buying a more expensive truck. The types of trucks that meet the 6,000 pound weight limit are pretty expensive, however. Those include:

• Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD - $32,935
• Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD - $33,480
• Ford F450 - $53,945
• GMC Sierra 2500HD - $33,455
• GMC Sierra 3500HD - $34,000
• Lexus LX570 - $90,476
• Lincoln Navigator L - $65,905
• Dodge RAM 3500 - $33,245

Another way of looking at it: your neighbor with a big old Ford F450 parked in his driveway is exempt from a tax that you're paying.

Image via LM Otero/Associated Press