SALT LAKE CITY — Owners of electric and hybrid vehicles may soon face up to a five-fold increase in Utah registration fees — making them the highest in America — which critics say will hurt sales and harm efforts to reduce air pollution, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
That comes as the House Transportation Committee on Monday advanced HB209 on 6-4 vote, which would increase the fees. The bill now goes to the full House.
Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, Senate sponsor of the bill, who handled the presentation of it for an ailing Rep. Kay Christofferson, R-Lehi, the bill’s main sponsor, said electric cars and hybrids now totally or largely escape gasoline taxes that fund road maintenance.
So, he said the proposed fee hikes would force them to pay more of what he says is their fair share. However, he says they would still pay perhaps 20% less than drivers of most gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles pay on average per year in fuel tax, still giving some incentive to clean-air vehicles.
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