Demand efficiency but resist politics. Delay Tri-Cities transit tax cut forever | Editorial
The Tri-Cities transit board made a smart decision by not putting a sales tax reduction on the November ballot An even wiser action would be for Ben Franklin Transit to shelve this misguided idea permanently.
Political preening is the only reason some board members want to ask voters to trim the small transit tax by one-tenth of a cent. That would allow politicians – ones who don’t necessarily have transit users’ best interests at heart – to proclaim they’ve cut taxes.
Some folks have complained about seeing empty buses roll by. They seize on that as a rationale for reducing funding, and thus service. Such comments reveal a basic misunderstanding of regional transit, whose role is to serve the entire region.
That includes providing access in areas that have fewer potential riders to fill the buses, take Dial-A-Ride and use other transit services.
These residents need transportation just as much as anyone else does. Ben Franklin Transit can be their lifeline to jobs, stores, educational institutions, medical appointments, family visits, churches, civic engagements and other activities.
Public transit is a critical ingredient of a healthy community. In fact, an excellent transit system – capable of carrying workers from throughout the region to a worksite – is part of the Tri-Cities’ appeal to companies interested in locating here. A sales tax reduction would undercut that argument while providing minuscule financial benefit to residents.
The transit agency depends on sales taxes for more than two-thirds of its operating revenue. That dependence reflects the reality that fares alone are insufficient to operate a comprehensive transit system.
High fares are counterproductive, driving away potential riders, so public subsidies are both necessary and appropriate. After all, our state and nation subsidize other forms of transportation from highways to local street construction.
With the current sales tax, the agency collects 6 cents on a $10 purchase. Only one other major transit district in Washington has a lower rate.
Reducing the rate to 5 cents would save the average taxpayer less than $2 per month according to the Ben Franklin Transit Citizen Advisory Network and cost transit services more than $100 million.
It’s no wonder that the citizens group recommended against the proposed ballot measure, as did hundreds of other residents who weighed in.
Reducing the tax rate also reduces the amount that visitors to the Tri-Cities contribute to the system. Few tourists ride transit, but they do pay sales taxes.
The financial elephant in the room is Initiative 2117 on the Nov. 5 ballot. It would repeal the 2021 Washington Climate Commitment Act and ban state agencies from implementing “any type of carbon tax credit trading, also known as ‘cap and trade’ or ‘cap and tax’ scheme.”
If Washington voters approve the initiative, Ben Franklin Transit would lose several million dollars a year from Move Ahead Washington – a loss totaling $70.5 million during the next 13 years.
Even if voters reject the initiative, cutting the sales tax would cost the community because maintaining current sales tax levels is one requirement for receiving the state money.
Less revenue obviously would force service reductions, including fewer hours or days of operation. That, in turn, could trigger the loss of some federal matching funds, further undercutting our regional transit system.
And when people don’t have easy access to health care and other services, their health goes down and the economic toll on society goes up.
Taxpayers have a right to demand the system run efficiently, and Ben Franklin Transit has been working to reduce costs. But taxpayers also should demand the transit board heed its responsibility to strengthen the system, not shave the sales tax for cheap political gain.
