Lawmaker proposes boosting studded tire tax from $5 to $75

Published 6:25 pm Friday, February 10, 2017

ANCHORAGE — An Anchorage state senator has introduced a bill to increase the state tax on studded snow tires.

Republican Cathy Giessel told Anchorage television station KTUU (http://bit.ly/2kupDYV) that studded tires contribute significantly to ruts that damage Alaska roads.

The measure introduced Monday would increase the state tax for each studded tire from $5 to $75.

That means the tax for a set of four tires would increase from $20 to $300.

Giessel in her sponsor statement says maintenance comes at a cost and that driving with studded tires is choice.

She says the Alaska Department of Transportation estimates that repairing a two-lane road from ruts costs $1 million per mile.

Giessel says technological advances have made winter tires without studs “just about” as effective for stopping.