Sound Transit: Sticker shock is hitting hard

My wife came to me today extremely upset. After asking her what was wrong, she told me that while her Social Security cost of living increase was minimal for 2017, her car tabs increased by 344 percent. After saving for a new car, I don’t know if we want to keep it.

Sound Transit’s November proposition was rammed down the throats of all working people in the three regional counties of Pierce, Snohomish and King. While Pierce County overwhelmingly rejected it, our neighbors to the north have thrust upon us this overbearing new increase in taxes.

With 2017 upon us, I hope those in Snohomish and King counties start to feel the sting in their wallets as well. And it’s not over. Wait until they see the increases in their property and sales taxes.

Maybe they should have tried a fundraiser instead of flushing the rest of us down that endless hole in the ground.

And if the estimates are correct for the annual growth rate for operations and maintenance, along with the inflation rates of construction, these taxes not only will need to be increased in the future, they very may well be perpetual.

This story was originally published January 24, 2017 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Sound Transit: Sticker shock is hitting hard."