Effective April 1, 1997, the voter-approved Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Tax took effect throughout the major metropolitan areas of King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. The money generated from the additional tax is earmarked to create a light rail and express bus system in the region.
An additional tax of 0.9 percent applies to all transactions subject to sales or use tax. The RTA tax also increased the rental car tax rate in the affected areas by 0.8 percent and the motor vehicle excise tax rate by 0.3 percent. The Department of Revenue's Tax Rate Lookup Tool provides detailed information on RTA boundaries.