Why do opponents call Real ID a tax increase?
The legislation that was rammed into law provided no money to pay the states’ costs to comply, so those costs would ultimately be borne by the residents of each state – if not in the form of higher fees at the DMV, then in the form of higher taxes. That is why Real ID is for all intents and purposes a hidden tax increase. If Congressional leaders want to impose a multi-billion-dollar “security tax” on the American citizens, they must do so only through well-established mechanisms and after a proper period of open debate and exploratory hearings that examine the costs and benefits of such a measure. Congressional leaders must not impose an enormously expensive (and dubiously effective) security scheme while trying to weasel out of paying for such a scheme by sneaking its costs along to taxpayers through higher license fees and/or state tax increases.
