Cheating On Auto Licenses Rampant State Losing Millions To Oregon, Idaho
If car licenses are a guide, you might think you’re already in Oregon when you reach the northern outskirts of Vancouver on a drive south on Interstate 5.
Washington state officials estimate nearly one in 10 vehicles in Clark County sports Oregon license plates, and it’s not too hard to figure out why.
Licensing a modest late-model car in Washington costs hundreds of dollars a year compared with only about $30 for two years in Oregon.
“There’s always been a high level of violations (in Clark County),” said Dallas Reel, a tax-discovery agent with the Washington Department of Revenue in Vancouver. “With the vast influx of people now, it’s worse.”
“I think we probably have the worst problem in the state because of where we are,” said Washington State Patrol Capt. Rick Phillips, commander of the Vancouver district.
But Clark County isn’t the only problem area because Washington state is virtually alone when it comes to high-priced auto licensing fees in the region. Seattle and Spokane have similar problems with Washington residents who take advantage of lower licensing rates in Alaska and Idaho as well as Oregon.
Washington law requires a car to be licensed here within 30 days of an owner’s move to the state.
While there are some attempts to catch drivers dodging the Washington tax, evidence shows the state is losing $5 million to $7 million in Clark County alone by assigning only a few people to target the estimated 15,000 to 20,000 cheaters.
If it were collected, the money would go mostly for transportation projects, public safety and criminal justice.
Currently, there are only one full-time WSP trooper and three state Department of Revenue employees who work part time on license cheating in Vancouver and several southwestern Washington counties. That’s half the enforcement level of 1995, although one detective is expected to be added in a month or so to ferret out cases that include such things as fraudulent Oregon addresses.
“The public is getting cheated,” said Randy Littlefield, senior revenue agent in the Department of Revenue’s Vancouver office. “It’s not just the state of Washington. For every dollar that the state loses, the general public loses services as a result.”
Law-abiding residents are frustrated and outraged that so many are flouting the system.
“I’ve turned in several people who don’t license and nothing happens,” said Paul Nelson, 52, a Salmon Creek salesman. “It’s aggravating when you go to the State Patrol and tell them about these people and nothing gets done.”