Vehicle Registration Fees

[Wingnut]

Man ... I just got my renewals for all the vehicles (except the bike) for this year and wigged out. I don't know if I just didn't pay attention in previous years or what ... but man-o-man.
Do any of y'all have utterly ridiculous registration fees like they do here in Michigan? Where's the Michigan Militia when you need them?
I just checked the SOS website and found an article explaining how they calculate it. If the vehicle is newer than 1984, they charge you a fee based on the original MSRP. So my mini-motorhome, which I paid $5k for, is being charged as if it were a $40k vehicle. $132 for something that sits in the drive for 99.99% of the year.
The minivan - which I bought new and cost 5 times as much as the motorhome - costs me $40/yr less! And the pickup, which is pre-1984, costs me 1/4 of what the minivan costs. And which vehicle puts more stress on the road? Hmm ... the cheapest vehicle ... which drags trailers and heavy loads around.
I'm really curious if they have any rationale besides gouging as much money from the residents as it's possible to do.
/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[Mosey]

"gouging as much money from the residents as it's possible"

I'd say that about covers it!

 

[cowboydoc]

It certainly is insane wingnut. In Iowa for my new 2002 F-350 it was going to be $890 just for a one year registration. Since I have my ranch in Idaho I just run everything through there anyway. In Idaho it's only $30 for two years!!!

 

[Jeff396]

Is this something new in Michigan? When I left in '92 I don't recall paying these high registration fees that were so common elsewhere. Of course with the punitive property taxes we had then, they didn't need it.

Since leaving Mi I have payed high vehicle registration fees in NC, AZ and SC. Last fall in SC I paid about $1000 to register my '01 Chrysler LHS and my '95 F350 2wd crew cab longbed powerstroke and my three older vehicles. The only thing that kept my sanity was that the '65 Vette, '64 T-bird and the '66 Triumph motorcycle cost me next to nothing due to their age. In addition. to add insult to injury, they ask you to estimate what you will be hauling for I think the F250 and above so they can zing you even more for that vehicle. I don't remember how much that added though as I told them about 8000 lbs. Gonna have to go change that as I still don't even have the trailer yet.

You gotta wonder why the auto manufacturers and dealers don't put a bunch of pressure on to get rid of this tax. Every now and again when I get the urge to sell the old Vette and buy a new one I am stopped dead in my tracks when I think of the registration fee I would have to pay on that baby! There's just something wrong with paying uncle sam more money just because you want to ride in a nice car./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff

 

[Muhammad]

In NY registration is about $35/year regardless of the value of the car...

In AZ it's based on a depreciated MSRP... they take 16.5% off each year. A new $30k car would cost about $550/year to register. Five years later, that same car might sell for $9,000 but still cost $200/year to register, based on a value of $12,177. Depends on the car, of course. Take a Porsche that costs $80,000 new and 3 years later, is still worth $65,000... that would have a depreciated value for registration of $46,575... but how many of us have that problem? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

For comparison... in NY, transportation costs are higher.. gas costs more, the roads destroy tires, wheels and suspensions routinely, and don't forget tolls. Outside of that, taxes are higher, health care is more, and most all costs of living are higher... for me, I think it will even out.

Compare Iowa and Idaho as Richard did, and that's another story. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[budman72]

Jeff, let me know when you're ready to get rid of the Vette in favor of a new one /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Figure this one out - I bought a 67 MGB a couple of years ago, KY wanted me to pay sales tax on book value of $7000 /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif I don't know where they got that number, but I would sell that baby today if I could get anything near that amount! As it was, the buyer and seller have to sign a notorized form stating the actual sales price and pay tax on that amount. But now that its time to renew the registration, they value the car for property taxes at $800 /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif. Cost me less than $20 for tax and registration.

Go figure

 

[MikePA]

In PA, they charge a fixed annual fee and not a percentage of the value of the vehicle. A car is about $50 a regular pickup is about $80. We also have annual inspections which run about $20, some car dealers even throw in free inspections for as long as you own the car. The $20 does not include any repairs the vehicle needs.

 

[Inspector507]

Mike,
Here in Ohio, our registration fees are about the same as yours. As long as my F250 Super Duty is listed as Non-Commercial, it costs me $75-80, and the SUV is about $45. We have no mandatory inspections except for the lucky counties that have an EPA E-check.
Depends on the county taxes though.

 

[cmsedore]

The registration fees aren't too bad for cars, but they get you more for pickups. The higher the max GVW, the more they cost. Still cheap compared to what others have mentioned.

-Chris

 

[Jeff396]

The car really needs to be sold but I just can't seem to pull the trigger. It's kinda hard to get much enjoyment out of a two seater with a family of four. My wife has only ridden in it about 4 or 5 times in the 4+ years we've owned it. I think it's value is somewhere around 53k. It's a '65 roadster with the 396 big block, 4spd Muncie close ratio trans, 3.70 posi, electronic ignition, power brakes, am/fm w power antenna, teak wheel, tinted glass, black exterior w/ saddle leather interior, factory side pipes, reproduction knock off wheels and a soft top as well as a factory hard top(coffee table). Tha black paint job is the best I've seen though it does have a few nicks here and there from use. The picture is from an article that was done on it in Vette magazine. If I get a check, it would most likely be gone/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Jeff

 

[Von]

Here in NY its not as bad, they base the fees on the weight of the car or truck. The smaller the car the less you pay. I think I pay about $48.00 for two years on my Porsche 911 and just paid $63.00 for the Jeep GC for two years. Now my trailer is $45.00 per year, but I don't use it in the winter so I can pro-rate it and save some, as all registrations for trailers start on Jan. 1. But like Muhammad stated we pay in so many other way its not funny!

 

[cowboydoc]

But like Muhammad stated we pay in so many other way its not funny!


This has troubled me for some time now. The guys here I think represent pretty much how America really is. You've got the wacko politicians, corporate america, and numbskull hollywood that paint the world as such and such. I think for the most part the country is represented by guys on this forum. My question is what do you guys think of all these taxes, fees, etc. that are going on in this country? I mean between FICA, federal, state, sales, property, use, tolls, fuel, etc. etc. taxes it has been said that middle class america pays 50-70% of their income to taxes in one form or another. Most of the taxes that are paid are only considered by state and federal with all the other taxes being left out. Figure most states are 5-10% sales tax, property tax, fuel tax, all the fees ie. taxes, we pay and that adds up to about another 15-20% of your income. Govt. just seems to keep getting bigger and bigger and when the states, county, cities, feds, etc. get short of cash they just keep coming up with new ways to tax us and get more money. Is there ever an end in sight? Now with free prescriptions on the horizon, the 911 big govt. aftermath, local cities and states spending beyond their budgets where does it end? If the middle class of America is already paying 50-70% of their income in taxes where is there to go? But all you see is more taxes, higher values, etc. etc. It just seems like a vicious cycle with no end in sight.

 

[Wingnut]

I guess the answer to "where will it end", Richard, is to suggest that you take a look at that "other" socialist "paradise" over in Euope. Sweden.
I've seen several reports of the taxes on self-employed people exceeded 110% of their annual income. But hey ... you get what you pay for ... just what we're destined for. A government that tells you where you can live, takes your kids away if someone whispers that you looked at them cross-eyed, regulates you from cradle to grave ... but guarantees you a certain lifestyle from cradle to grave.
And guess who the best-off people in the country are? Why, no less than the "civil servants".
Who says the communists lost?

pete

 

[Wingnut]

and if we consider it a user fee ... it makes sense that the vehicles that are (or could be) harder on the roads would pay more.
But, if you look at what I .. and others ... have mentioned ... it's quite obviously not a "use tax" or a user fee, or destined for keeping the roads in the terrible shape they are.
It's, pure and simplke, a way to grab your money knowing that you cannot or will not do without the vehicle(s).
If I thought for one minute that the money would actually be used for roads in this state, I'd not complain. But since I know it'll be going to buy votes in Dtroit .... well, I'm GREATLY upset.

pete

 

[justractors]

Seems to me the user fees in Michigan comes from the 37 or so cents we pay in taxes on each gallon of gas. The bigger and sportier cars and trucks use more gasoline and that seems like a much fairer way to look at things.
Prior to the last registration fee schedule change in Michigan the fees were based on only the weight of the vehicle, again a much fairer system in my opinion.
And for all the money paid in we still suffer with the potholes, the broken road surfaces, and the unsafe bridges. I did hear that the politicians are making their normal promises to make the roads safer but then again that big limo probably rides slightly better than my old Ford F150.
Bill