A Dallas Morning News editorial today indicates that proposals for new taxes to fund rail expansion have gone beyond the 1 cent sales tax increase to include a bevy of additional options, such as significant increases in the fuel tax and vehicle registration fee, as well as a “new resident impact fee” that would add $100 to the vehicle registration fee for each new North Texas resident.
With regard to the latter, Article 8, Secgtion 1 of the Texas Constitution requires that all taxes be “equal and uniform” Making new residents pay more for registering their vehicle is certainly not equal and uniform.
It is clear that there will be an intense lobbying effort during the next legislative session to change state law to allow the imposition of many of these new tax increaes for DFW rail. Will higher taxes be at the end of the line or will lawmakers stop the runaway train?
See today’s editorial in the DMN at: https://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-transit_09edi.ART.State.Edition1.4532347.html
