Motorists Targeted to Plug Budget Holes

Motorists Hit With Unfair Fees

Everyone agrees that state and local governments need sufficient resources to provide California’s citizens with vital services, such as education, public libraries, law enforcement, and
emergency services. But more often these days, state lawmakers and local
officials turn to motorists to generate funds to plug budget holes and
underwrite spending on a variety of projects-which, frankly, is
inappropriate and unfair.

For decades, motorists have paid taxes and fees to build and maintain roads, support the California Highway Patrol, and fund motorist-related services, such as the DMV. This makes sense because
motorists receive a direct benefit from such expenditures. But it’s
becoming commonplace for motorists to be targeted to pay for services
unrelated to driving, and the reason is simple: Levying a small fee on
each car can generate a great deal of money. For example, a $5 fee on
the 33 million registered vehicles in California generates well over
$150 million annually.

What’s more, state and local governments have discovered less obvious ways to obtain money by raising fees. A good example is traffic tickets, which now consist not only of a simple fine but also of
multiple added penalties that can quadruple a violation’s cost. For
instance, the base fee for a carpool-lane violation is $100, but nine
additional penalty fees, such as a “state court construction fund
fee”-levied despite the fact that most people don’t use the court system
to handle traffic tickets-bring the total to about $440. Such added
penalties generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually for state
and local governments.

Other examples: Some cities charge “crash fees” for fire and police services rendered at the scene of an auto collision, even though general taxes already pay for such services. Automated red-light cameras are
increasingly being used to issue $430 tickets to people who turn right
on a red light without completely stopping, the same amount as for more
dangerous straight-through red-light runners, the original reason for
installing the cameras. In 2009, the vehicle license fee (VLF, or car
tax) was increased from .65 percent to 1.15 percent. And this year,
lawmakers converted the gasoline sales tax into an excise tax, which
eased the voter-mandated protections on the use of the funds.

The Auto Club has been fighting such measures over the years and will continue to fight them. Government must come up with real solutions to budget issues, fairly allocate appropriate taxes and fees among the
population, and not focus on a single group, such as motorists, which
are perceived to be an easy target. The legislature is now deliberating
the 2010-11 budget and may again be considering additional motorist
taxes and fees. You can help make the voice of motorists heard. To learn
more and to contact your state and local representatives, visit
AAA.com/roadahead.

Thomas V. McKernan
Chief Executive Officer

Addendum:

For further information on how much motorists are being charged for traffic tickets, see this example:

I Owe How Much?

As anyone who has received a traffic ticket knows, there’s no such thing as a “simple” fine in California. For years, the state has been piling fees onto base fines, resulting in a total fine that’s many times
the base amount. Here, for example, is the fine for a seatbelt
violation:

Base fine: $20
State penalty assessment: $20
County penalty assessment: $14
Court security fee: $30
Conviction assessment: $35
DNA penalty assessment: $4
Court penalty assessment: $10
Surcharge: $4
EMS penalty assessment: $4
Total: $141

Does this penalty fee structure seem absurd to you? The Auto Club supports measures that reinforce safe driving and
treat drivers equitably. We also know that traffic laws exist to protect
motorists. But singling out motorists as an easy source of revenue is
unjust. If you agree, make your voice heard by contacting your state
assemblymember or senator. For more information, go to
AAA.com/roadahead.