Motor Vehicle Dept and Registration Taxes

I wouldn't mind so much if the money went to the intended reason, not diverted to any politician's vote buying efforts. Alabama has a 5 cent a gallon tax on gasoline for road maintenance. The Road Maintenance Fee in vehicle registrations was enacted after pols had diverted the gas tax fund for emergency spending like expanding the Robert Trent Jones golf trail...

 

If you're near a mass transit system, you will pay. It used to be $12/year for a bike, then it became $42.50 this year. I heard from a NYer way up in the middle of nowhere that he pays now $17 for the year. I'd register the bike in CT but it was cheaper to do so in NY, now is a different story, but to register it in CT means i need to re-title the vehicle and the fuchs at DMV want $50+ for that.

 

Illinois is same thing, 7% new or used, from dealer. If you buy from immediate family, then less. Or if it is more than 20 years old, then flat rate as well from private owner. Otherwise goes off of value, no matter how much you paid for it. If it is salvage title, then you have to get it inspected by one of 4 sites in the whole state. And Illinois is a good sized state....

 

In Ohio I only pay $46 to register my bike, get plates, each year. Depending on the county your in that price may fluctuate down $10. It only cost $25 to title a vehicle except larger ones like commercial trucks and PUs. Then it goes by weight. If it's an out of state one, then it needs an inspection. Basically a VIN verification. Some BMVs may still do that. Every time a vehicle is sold you have to pay county tax. Which ranges from 6% to about 7.75% of purchase price at title time. If you don't title it you can't get plates, but you can resell it under the radar.
What gripes me is your paying tax every time it's sold. There are some exceptions. Ohio instituted a $20 late fee this year. We had 30 days from expiration date to register for new plates. They changed it to 7 days. Never really let us know about that. People were pissed. The state made over 6 million dollars in the first three months of this year in late fees! Late fees = TAX. Don't know what happens if you let a vehicle set and not use it for a while and then try to register. If any late fees are applied.

Oh yea on my 66 goat I have model year plates. I paid $25 back in 94 for them. That's the ONLY time I have paid on that car for registration! Now that's cool.

 

It's so wrong here in Cali.
First of all registration is for using the vehicle on a public highway. If the vehicle is not used then why the need for registration? If a PO didn't register the bike for 4 years cos it wasn't working and sat in a yard,why charge back fees for 4 years? Notice they do not charge back non-op fees, it's the full amount!
Sales tax on each owner change is just plain wrong. In the UK you only pay sales tax if you buy the bike from a dealer, if it's a private party there is no tax.
" ...in the land of the Fee and the home of the brave"!

 

here is what happened to me.... I got a suzuki that sat since 01 I registered it in 06, It was treated as a "new vehicle" as if it never was r registered in the state of Cal....fast forward to two years ago.. I went to register the VFR.... I had to pay for every year it wasn'y registered. it was gonna cost me more than the bike was worth.. I managed to pursuade the lovely lady to have Cali pay half and I would pay half because I was trying to do the right thing. by keeping up the registration... it was four hundred bucks. this year my registration is 76.00 it just came in the mail....

 

Same type of thing happenned to me. Paid $200 for a C70 that was an RV bike. Wasn't registered for a few years DMV back fees were $400. Told DMV I would pay non-op fees only and they would get $75 a year from here on out but they would not work with me cos Cali has an abundance of funds that they just don't know what to do with! Think about how many millions they would get if they acted reasonably.Now the DMV is closed 4 times a month - Instant Karma!! Ended up parting out the bike.
Basically DMV is saying law enforcement does not pay any attention to out of date plates by making you pay full fees instead of non-op fees aren't they?

 

What a shame to part out a complete bike.

California also caused a lot of waste by making the California Inventory tax law.
IT stated that ALL parts would be taxed . So many wrecking yards for motorcycles and cars threw out many vintage parts so they would not have to pay taxes on those parts.
Now many car parts are stored in Nevada warehouses, and it takes longer to get replacement parts as a result of that law.

 

I seem to remember that CT was not a 'tax friendly' state when my car was registered there; the state reassesses taxes each registration period (or something like that). Not a nice way to do business IMHO...

I did pay $42.50 this year for registration on the bike - which until now had been registered in WA, which is why I didn't know about that HUGE increase in cost... OUCH.

 

In NY - you pay a yearly registration fee (every april it's due for motorcycles), the bike also needs a yearly inspection. And when you purchase the bike (even if used from an out of state purchase) - you have to pay NYS sales tax on the purchase price (a bill of sale is required)