The Board of Directors for the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber Friday passed two advisory resolutions concerning initiatives that may appear on the November 2006 ballot.

The Board opposed Initiative 917, arguing it would cap car registration fees at $30, purge weight surcharges on vehicles and eliminate any future funding mechanism for transportation projects related to car tabs. According to the chamber, it would eradicate more than one-quarter of the $8.5 billion transportation finance package being used for future roads, rail mobility projects, transit plans, and safety projects throughout the region. The Chamber has supported these transportation projects and their funding through its Regional Access Mobility Project (RAMP) and its legislative agenda.

The Board supported Initiative 920, which would repeal Washington state’s estate tax. Currently, Washington law collects tax on the transfer of estates valued at more than $2 million. The federal government collects estate tax on estates valued at more than $3.5 million. An estate valued between $2 million and $3.5 million in Washington would not be taxed at the federal level, but would be taxed at the state level at 19 percent.
According to the Chamber, the estate tax is driving away family-owned small businesses and retirees.