Athletes of all abilities will find next year’s Whidbey Island Triathlon a little more taxing.

Quite literally.

Officials of the South Whidbey Parks & Recreation District announced the district will start charging taxes this fall on its recreation programs.

State sales taxes will be added to the fees for programs that are held outdoors, while sales taxes and business-and-occupation taxes will be added to the fees for programs held indoors.

Terri Arnold, director of the parks district, said the state Department of Revenue is ramping up its efforts to collect those taxes after years of lax enforcement.

Arnold said because the district’s summer programs are already underway, the district will start collecting the taxes Oct. 1.

“That lines up with when our new activity guide gets released and all of our new programs start,” she said.

Program fees will not increase, Arnold said, but what people pay to play will rise due to the new taxes.

“It doesn’t really change our fees. Our fees won’t go up accordingly,” she said.

The state sales tax in Island County is 8.7 percent, and the B&O tax is .471 percent.

As an example, someone paying the $75 fee for the triathlon will pay a total of $81.52.

For an indoor class, the fee will include the sales tax and the B&O tax. For a teen yoga class, for example, the $65 fee could rise to $73.97 in total.

Nonprofit youth organizations will be exempt from paying the sales or B&O taxes.

Arnold said the parks district will use the next several months to educate parks users about the taxes, a portion of which will return to the parks district.

Arnold said she hopes residents understand that the state is behind the ramped up effort to recoup tax dollars.

“I hope they don’t hold it against us. It’s not us.”

“Certainly the state has the authority to collect taxes that they set,” she added.