Oregon Public Broadcasting

Starting Thursday, it's going to cost more to register or title your vehicle in Oregon.

Separate health care taxes are also taking effect.

Those increases come less than a week after opponents of the hikes fell short in their attempts to force referendum votes. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports.

The Legislature approved the vehicle fee increase as part of a plan to raise $300 million a year for highway construction projects.

Opponents spent part of the summer gathering signatures to put the measure on the ballot.

Not enough people signed the petition, however, so as of Thursday the registration fee for a typical car in Oregon will go up from $54 every two years to $86.

But DMV spokesman David House says there's no point in hurrying in now to save money.

David House: “The fee you pay depends on when your car's tags expire. So if your car's tags expire in October, you can't pay that before Thursday and get a lower fee.”

Another increase taking effect on Thursday is a legislatively-approved tax on insurance premiums and hospitals to expand health care access. Critics of that also failed to force a referendum.