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(Salt Lake City-AP) -- The businesses in Salt Lake County that provide state emissions tests for cars can now charge whatever they want for the tests.
The County Council lifted the fee cap last night.
It's a move that could cause legal trouble. The Utah Legislature passed a law allowing the 25 dollar fee to be raised by 30 percent. That increase was authorized to offset another change, which allows new-car owners to skip every other year of testing.
But the County Council decided to take it a step further and get rid of the fee limits altogether.
The county's legal adviser calls the move a gamble -- but he thinks the odds are on their side.
State Senator Chris Buttars has already said he'll sponsor a law to allow the deregulation.
Councilman Cortlund Ashton was the only one to vote against getting rid of the fee cap. He says it will hurt poorer residents who drive older cars. Others have said deregulation will favor the big chain businesses and hurt the individual family run shops.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
