Transit tax can be itemized on 1040

The motor-vehicle excise tax you paid for transit projects may be itemized, and deducted from taxable income, when filing Form 1040.

List the amounts on Schedule A, line 7, "Personal property taxes."

Seattle monorail tax: The defunct Seattle Monorail Project's car-tab tax of 1.4 percent, within Seattle city limits only, is deductible. The amount is shown as "Monorail" on the green vehicle-registration statement that comes with your license tabs.

Sound Transit tax: Sound Transit's car-tab tax of 0.3 percent, charged throughout the urban parts of Snohomish, King and Pierce counties, is also deductible. It appears as "RTA Tax" on the green statement.

Only the two transit taxes, which are based on vehicle value, may be deducted. Do not claim the statewide $30 car-tab fee, weight fees, local processing fees or your total payment.

If voters approve new car-tab taxes for regional highways, as proposed for this November's ballot, those would be tax-deductible.

The monorail tax, which expired in June 2006, will no longer be an issue when you file a 2007 return.

— Mike Lindblom, Seattle Times