MILLIONS of drivers could be forced to pay a raft of new car fees under a new overhaul plan.
Lawmakers have revealed a headache-inducing plan for higher gas taxes, increased registration fees, and annual surcharges.
Democrat Governor Tina Kotek has unveiled a plan to raise several driving expenses[/caption]
Drivers in Oregon could have to be extra in annual fees[/caption]
The plan was introduced by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and would apply to every driver in her state.
On Thursday, she revealed a new transportation funding plan to raise cash for public transit, road upkeep, and highway infrastructure.
Under the legislation, the state’s gas tax would skyrocket from 40 cents a gallon to 46, The Oregonian reported.
Plus, car registration fees would shoot up $42, and title fees would increase by a massive $139.
The state’s 0.1% payroll tax for transit would also double, and drivers with EVs would be forced to pay an extra $30 registration surcharge.
If the new plan is passed, the state’s transportation department would just barely be able to pay its bills, the local paper reported.
Kotek warned that nearly 10% of transportation workers would be laid off if they couldn’t increase their revenue.
She also said that service might be slashed from public transportation.
The governor scheduled a meeting for September 1 where lawmakers will decide whether to finalize the plan.
“I am confident that next month legislators are going to show up, they’re going to approve the necessary funding for the state’s transportation needs,” she said, according to OPB.
“And I truly appreciate their partnership right now to address the crisis that is facing the state.”
But not everyone is sold on the plan.
House Republican Leader Christine Drazan described the plan as “tone-deaf” and said it doesn’t meet the needs of locals.
“I am disappointed that the governor did not choose to listen to the voices of Oregonians that told her that they can’t afford these tax increases, and certainly it was a missed opportunity to work across the aisle with Republicans and incorporate in our recommendations,” she said.
“The problem we’ve got is that it’s tied into this larger package of cost increases for people that are already paying too much.
“That’s the problem, it is not solving just the one issue of whether or not there’s fairness.
“Instead, it’s dramatically increasing taxes when the governor does not have to.”
New driving laws in 2025
Drivers across the United States are having to adjust to a slew of new road rules that take effect in 2025. Some of those include:
- Daylighting law prohibiting drivers from parking their cars within 20 feet of any crosswalk in California
- Stricter street racing penalties in California
- Changes to car seat age and weight requirements in Colorado
- Fines for failing to follow designated enter and exit areas for express lanes in Colorado
- Bans on handheld devices while driving in Colorado and Missouri
- Drivers allowed to have a digital copy of their license on their cell phones in Illinois
- Yield right of way to emergency vehicles in Illinois
- Drivers required to take a vision test to renew licenses in Kentucky
- School bus safety law in Oregon
- Vehicle safety inspections scrapped in Texas
OTHER FEES
Oregon isn’t the only state that’s introducing new fines.
Transportation officials in San Francisco, California, just turned on new speeding cameras that will be searching for violators.
Drivers face fines of up to $550 if they’re caught by the 33 automated devices.
The cameras have been in service for months, but they’ve only doled out warnings.
On August 6, the grace period came to an abrupt halt.
The cameras will be scanning drivers coming from both directions on the road.
Fines start at $50 if you exceed the speed limit by more than 10 mph, but they can climb to $500 for driving at 100 mph or higher.
Meanwhile, drivers elsewhere were left furious after a citywide parking ban was imposed.
And a woman was slapped with a massive $3,800 bill from her dealership one month after she purchased the car.
