An open letter to Representatives Sherry Appleton and Drew Hansen and Senator Christine Rolfes:

I am your constituent and bicycling is very important to me. The proposed tax on bicycles to fund the transportation bill is counter productive for a number of reasons. Despite what Representative Ed Orcutt from the 20th Legislative District believes, bicycling does not add more CO2 to our atmosphere than driving.

Besides, when a government taxes something specifically—like bicycle purchases—it is best done when that something is a net negative for the public as a whole, like drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes OR DRIVING A CAR.

Even worse—this 5% tax on a $500 bicycle is proportionately much higher than the 0.7% excise tax on new cars. And this tax will do nothing to improve the municipal streets most of us ride our bikes on. Taxing bikes to pay for highways? Might as well tax shoes, too.

You know this is unfair. You know that bicycling reduces traffic and wear on our roads. You know that bicycling lowers our shared health costs. Help educate your ignorant colleagues in Olympia and get this bike tax out of the highway package.

Thanks,

Porter Hall Bainbridge Island