As of today, there are 22 million cars registered in the State of Texas. Every one of those cars has to get an annual safety inspection done each year in the State of Texas. If you are lucky enough to live in one of 13 counties, (Dallas being one of them) you have to get a State Emission Test done in addition to the safety inspection.
Texas legislators are signing a bill that eliminates the safety inspection for all Texans starting in 2025. So, if you have a worn-out tire that is about to bust, a tail light not working, or a check engine light that has come on, no one will make you do anything about it starting in 2025.
So, we get a break in the fees, right? Because Texas drivers pay $7.00 a year for that safety inspection. Well, that would only make sense. Instead, they are not only raising that fee from $7.00 to $7.50, but they are also making you pay it annually when you register your car. The new name for the fee is the inspection program replacement fee – seriously, I can’t make this up.
So, you still pay for it without the inspection being done? You got it! Think about the economic impact for a second as far as raising taxes. The $7 fee is still owed each year plus the additional .50 that they are tacking onto the $7 fee. Here is the hidden tax – They don’t have to pay the gas station a fee for doing those state inspections. Let’s say that gas stations keep $1 out of the $7 fee per car for safety inspections. When you add on the $0.50 additional tax, that is 1.50 a car. There are 22 million cars registered in the state of Texas. That comes out to an additional revenue of $33,000,000.
Congratulations Texan politicians! You raised millions of dollars and made our highways way riskier to drive on since no one now has to take care of safety issues with their car. Of course, there are some things that police can pull you over and ticket you for. That could have been an unnecessary ticket had the driver had the annual safety test. For the state of Texas, that is just additional revenue.
Statistically, you are more likely to get into a car wreck because of a safety issue on Texas Highways. Texas highways are notoriously dangerous even with the safety inspections being done. Representative Cody Harris, one of the sponsors of the bill, says that
"these inspections are a waste of time for Texas citizens.”
He also said that
“Texans are responsible, fiercely independent, and I trust them to keep their cars and trucks safe while on the road.”
Obviously, he doesn’t understand human nature.
Note - These numbers are estimated. We are still working on finding out the real numbers. My guess is that they will be larger.
Bob Brooks is the host of the Prudent Money Radio Show heard weekdays from 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM on FM Radio 91.3 KDKR
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