Question for HD owners in King/Pierce counties - Western Washington State

21GMC · September 6, 2023

Guys

For anyone living from as far south as Lakewood and as far north as Everett. Any of you bought a 2500 or 3500 HD in the last 3 years and had to pay RTA tax when getting the car registered at the DMV?

Not talking about the initial sales tax at purchase but the RTA tax the gets added at the time of registering the truck?

I am told these trucks are RTA exempt due to gross weight. Can anyone with ownership experience actually validate that?

WAC 308-57-140:

Thanks

Another JR · September 6, 2023

The tabs for my 2021 3500HD, which has an 11,500 GVWR, were around $100 at the most recent renewal last April. No RTA tax is listed in the itemized list of fees. Most of it is gross weight fee. I live in Renton.

I just went to buy a new 4runner and found they get you twice now for the RTA tax on purchasing a new vehicle of that size. About $650 “RTA tax” listed right under the state sales tax, PLUS the license fees are over $1200, about $600 of which is, wait for it, RTA tax. I questioned whether they were double billing it but we looked up the state law and they get you twice. If I didn’t love paying taxes I might be a bit annoyed by this!

Edited September 6, 2023 by Another JR
Added year of truck

Another JR · September 6, 2023

Deleted

Edited September 6, 2023 by Another JR

SoCal Angler · September 6, 2023

6 minutes ago, Another JR said:

Hint for WA state residents: Under WA state law, a red light or speeding camera ticket goes to the registered owner. If the registered owner wasn’t driving the car, they can submit an affidavit saying “it wasn’t me” and the ticket is dropped. This might influence how you and your spouse decide to register your cars.

Never submit a false affidavit (it’s a felony).

Great to know your taxes are like mine in CA and I'm not the only one suffering!!

CA ditched the red light cameras several years ago......why?.....unable to prove who was driving...even with a pic!!!!

Registered owner is NOT required to divulge who was driving his/her vehicle on X day and X minute/second!!

REMEMBER....You should NOT run red lights for the safety of everyone!!!

However, states did rake in MILLIONS with these red light camera tactics!!!

Another JR · September 6, 2023

I decided I probably shouldn’t advertise that tactic but you caught it before I deleted it! Oh well.

Our law and the associated affidavit form does not require the registered owner to identify who was driving. I came across this when a house guest got a red light ticket in our car and insisted on paying it. I tried to look up how one transfers ticket responsibility and found the section about submitting the affidavit and the ticket going away. We’ve legitimately gotten out of that ticket plus two others based on it not being the registered owner driving. (My wife tends to slow roll or stop past the stop line on free rights on a red.) My wife and I for other reasons (who closed the deal buying the vehicle) have our registrations in each others’ names. Our insurance company doesn’t care as long as the cars are in one of our names.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Another JR