$1,500 Car Tab Renewal: Puget Sound Residents Shocked By Fees

SEATTLE, WA - Drivers in Pierce, King, and Snohomish counties are getting shocked by sky-high car tab fees this year, according to reports.

Bills are going up this year because of the Sound Transit 3 expansion. The measure, which was approved by 54 percent of voters locally, raises taxes on car tabs 0.8 percent. If your car is worth $20,000, you could see a car tab increase of $160. For more Seattle news, click here to get Patch's daily newsletter and free, real-time news alerts.

One Tesla driver received a bill for $1,500, according to KOMO News. Driver Robert Klem told the station he was stunned when he opened the bill.

"When I opened the bill and saw that it was about $1,000 more ... Of course my wife was in the car with me. Her first reaction was ‘We’re selling the car,'" he told KOMO.

Drivers whose car tabs expire after March 1 will start seeing the new car tab fees first.

ST3 will expand light rail and bus service around the region. Light rail in Seattle will extend to Bellevue and Redmond, and north to Everett. In Tacoma, the downtown light rail line will be extended to Tacoma Community College.

If you want to know how much your car tab bill might be, the Washington Department of Licensing can give you an estimate.

Image via Creative Commons