That tired old proposal about bicycle license fees has been broached again, this time from James F. Vesely, editorial page editor at the Seattle Times.
He proposes that bicyclists pay a $25 annual fee for owning a bike. It would make us members of the world of transportation, he writes, “rather than free riders on the tax rolls.”
Like so many of the previously misinformed, he writes about the benefits of bicycle pathways and bicycle lanes that are bestowed upon bicyclists by “the remarkable generosity of Puget Sound taxpayers.”
We all pay taxes
Maybe Vesely thinks that bicycle riders magically appear on Seattle streets from someplace else — like a tax-free universe.
Let's repeat this one more time: Bicyclists pay taxes. They pay property taxes if they own property. They pay sales taxes if they buy goods and services. Many also own cars, which they choose at certain times to not drive. They do pay licenses and taxes on their cars, even if they're sitting in the garage.
I particularly enjoyed Vesely's description of bicyclists being imbued with “exalted senses of self.” That's an interesting insight coming from a newspaper editorial page editor, one who later admits to observing “from my perch.”
Subsidizing cars
Maybe while he's perched on his tower, or behind the wheel of his car in a traffic jam if he drives, he should read the competition.
Guest columnist David Neiwert wrote in the P-I last year that most the money for local roads comes from local, property and sales taxes. In fact, he concludes that because car licenses and gasoline tax don't fully cover the wear and tear on roads, all taxpayers — including bicyclists — subsidize the road construction and upkeep with their taxes.
If they ever come up with a good justification for these licenses — such as the tags being used to identify or recover stolen bicycles — I might be convinced. But I truthfully doubt the county could charge a $25 fee without actually losing money on the administration.
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