# Yearly tax on car...why?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 2, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587 "2007-12-02T21:56:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2007, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/41 "2007-12-06T12:11:08Z")
[QUOTE=chowder]
I’m really not getting this. Are you saying that every person in the US gets taxed on his/her car every year?
If you have more than one car do you get taxed on each?
If so then it’s not much different to the “Tax Disc” we Brits have to pay for…every year ☹
[/QUOTE]
Here’s a specific example from Missouri (as others have said, this varies from one location to another):
My tax rate for personal property tax is 5.9190%. But, the vehicles are taxed on a small portion of their actual market value. The value to be taxed is set by the taxing authority. I’m not sure how they determine it, but there is an appeal process. My vehicles are valued thus:
2006 Toyota Tacoma $3790
1991 Dodge Spirit R/T $200
1985 Ford LTD LX $100
1955 DeSoto Firedome $100
If I owned tractors, plows, any sort of heavy equipment, boats, outboard motors, etc., I’d pay personal property tax on those as well. When I first moved out of my parents’ home about 34 years ago, they even taxed you on the value of your furniture and major appliances. I don’t remember when that stopped.
The total tax bill was $249.77 for these vehicles (the pickup truck accounted for almost $200 of that total). The money gets divided up; the local school district gets the most, at $167.46. The fire department get the next largest allocation, at $27.51, then the ambulance district ($18.49). There are a total of 14 entities which get some portion of this tax revenue. In my case, only $1.27 is shown to be going to the State of Missouri. The rest stayed in Jefferson County; in fact, most of the money stayed even closer. The schools, fire and ambulance districts are all more local than the county.
For the vehicles, there is also a registration fee that I pay to get my license plates, after I submit proof that the vehicle has passed a safety inspection. (I pay for it at a price fixed by the state, but which goes to the private inspector. who is licensed by the state. I believe the inspector keeps most of the fee, with a portion going to the state.) For the pickup truck, I also have to get an emissions inspection; the cars are all too old to be subject to the emissions testing.
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### Author:  [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2007, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/42 "2007-12-06T13:04:56Z")
Japan also has a annual tax on cars and fortunately not on expensive watches.
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/43 "2007-12-06T17:01:49Z")
[QUOTE=chowder]
I’m really not getting this. Are you saying that every person in the US gets taxed on his/her car every year?
[/quote]
No, only people who reside in states whose governments choose to impose this tax.
> [@](#):
>
> If you have more than one car do you get taxed on each?
If your state has a personal property tax on vehicles (colloquially known as the “car tax”), then, yes, you will pay a tax on each of your registered cars.
> [@](#):
>
> If so then it’s not much different to the “Tax Disc” we Brits have to pay for…every year ☹
Is the tax disc a flat fee? If so, that’s more like our registration fee, which exists in every state.
If the cost of your tax disc is based on the value of your car, then that’s like the car tax.
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### Author:  [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/44 "2007-12-06T20:50:06Z")
Nominal? I wish we had a separate property tax for vehicles in Michigan. The registration for my six-year-old car is $137 per year, based on the original value. Since it’s registration, it’s not tax deductible. Let me pay a “nominal” $50, and write the rest off.
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### Author:  [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2007, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/45 "2007-12-06T22:48:17Z")
[QUOTE=control-z]
I’m with the OP, it really sucks that we have to pay this damn tax every year on cars we have already paid for.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, it sucks that burning houses don’t put themselves out, roads don’t build themselves, and restaurants need someone inspecting them to keep them sanitary.
Also, it sucks that I don’t have a flying pony that pisses beer.
What’s your point?
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### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/46 "2007-12-06T22:55:23Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout]
Perhaps, but the point is that that it isn’t really a system constructed to be nice, fair and logical - it’s a system constructed to generate revenue and be as nearly tolerable as possible.
[/quote]
Or to put it another way, “The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest amount of feathers with the least possible amount of hissing.”
[Said in 1665 by Jean Baptiste Colbert.](http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-5750661.html) Some things never change.
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### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/47 "2007-12-06T23:10:49Z")
An anecdote about odd taxes follows. When I was living at home during college, I thought I was immune from the personal property tax in that state. My parents paid tax on home furnishings – an attorney told them to put down $100 for all personal property – but I didn’t have any of those. Then one year some smart tax authority decided to do some creative data mining. He ran a search of all auto owners with license plates that looked like ham (Radio Amateur) call signs. For every one he found, he assessed them with $1000 worth of personal property on the theory that all amateurs had expensive radio equipment. Then he waited for the checks from the guilty.
Instead he got a phone call from me, and I had to admit I had a transceiver but not much else, so we settled on a book value of $100 for it (this was in 1960). I didn’t know much about depreciated values; that was probably way too high by a factor of 10 but his government agent status was pretty intimidating.
So I then paid the same yearly tax for my Heathkit as my parents did on a whole house of furniture.
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### Author:  [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2007, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/48 "2007-12-07T00:12:11Z")
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq]
Gray Davis, IIRC, engineered a significant increase in the taxes and fees paid on yearly registration of cars in California.
[/QUOTE]
That’s not correct (though maybe it depends on what you mean by “engineered”). California vehicle license fees had been cut in earlier years, but there was already a provision in state law that the fees would revert to their old rate if the state experienced a budget shortfall. Since CA had a huge shortfall in 2002-3, the reduction in the vehicle fee was rescinded. Davis paid the price, but this wasn’t entirely his doing. [Here’s](http://www.lao.ca.gov/analysis_2002/2002_pandi/pi_part_5d_vlf_anl02.html) a somewhat jargon-filled cite.
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### Author:  [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2007, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/49 "2007-12-07T08:16:59Z")
**acsenray** : The cost of the tax disc depends on the engine size of your car.
A person owning a 2.0 will pay more than someone driving a 1.1
Disabled persons are exempt from having to pay no matter the engine size of car they drive
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### Author:  [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2007, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/50 "2007-12-07T09:41:32Z")
[QUOTE=chowder]
**acsenray** : The cost of the tax disc depends on the engine size of your car.
A person owning a 2.0 will pay more than someone driving a 1.1
Disabled persons are exempt from having to pay no matter the engine size of car they drive
[/QUOTE]
OK, **acsenray** appeared to be saying that registration fees are fixed and the same for all vehicles
> [@](#):
>
> Is the tax disc a flat fee? If so, that’s more like our registration fee, which exists in every state.
In Missouri, that’s not true, although I can’t speak for the other 49 states, DC, territories or possessions. For Missouri,
> [@](#):
>
> Registration fees for passenger vehicles are determined by your vehicle’s taxable horsepower. Your vehicle’s taxable horsepower is recorded on your title, or on your Application for Missouri Title and Registration.
> Registration fees for trucks, including all pickup trucks and all utility-type vehicles that are registered as trucks, are determined by your truck’s weight, and whether you will be using the truck locally (within 50 miles from home) or over a wider area. Your truck’s weight includes the weight of any other trailers or property that you might haul during the registration period.
This is from the state’s website at [Missouri Department of Revenue](http://dor.mo.gov/mvdl/motorv/fees.htm), which includes tables showing the actual fees currently in effect. Since your tax disc varies with the size of the engine, it _does_ appear that our registration fee is somewhat equivalent. I don’t think there’s any waiver or discount for disabled people, though. I haven’t found anything specific about it, but before his death, my dad had “disabled” license plates, which allowed him to park in designated handicapped spaces. He never mentioned any discount - and he _would_, if he had gotten one. Here’s a quote from the state’s [FAQ](http://dor.mo.gov/mvdl/motorv/faq/general.htm) that mention fees, but does NOT mention a discount:
> [@](#):
>
> Submit an Application for Missouri Personalized and Special License Plates (DOR-1716), a Physician’s Statement for Disabled License Plates/Placard (DOR-1776) from your licensed physician, chiropractor, podiatrist, advanced practice registered nurse, or optometrist stating that you qualify for a Disabled Person Placard, **and the proper registration and processing fees** either by mail to the Motor Vehicle Bureau, P. O. Box 100, Jefferson City, MO 65105, or in person at any Missouri Department of Revenue office.
(bolding added by me)
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### Author:  [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2007, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/51 "2007-12-07T12:15:43Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee]
That’s not correct (though maybe it depends on what you mean by “engineered”). California vehicle license fees had been cut in earlier years, but there was already a provision in state law that the fees would revert to their old rate if the state experienced a budget shortfall. Since CA had a huge shortfall in 2002-3, the reduction in the vehicle fee was rescinded. Davis paid the price, but this wasn’t entirely his doing. [Here’s](http://www.lao.ca.gov/analysis_2002/2002_pandi/pi_part_5d_vlf_anl02.html) a somewhat jargon-filled cite.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I was trying to shorthand it a bit. Thanks for clarifying. 🙂
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### Author:  [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/52 "2007-12-07T14:28:13Z")
**2acresandatruck** : The other thing/s that disabled persons are entitled to in the UK are:
1. A free (well sort of) car of their choice every 3 years. To qualify for the car you have to give up your disability allowance. In certain instances you may be required to put down a small deposit but in the main they are deposit free.
2. Free breakdown services.
3. Free servicing and MOT.
4. Free replacement tyres.
5. Free fully comprehensive insurance.
6. Free parking in 95% of places
7. Permission to park in no parking zones provided the disabled badge is displayed, 3 hour limit.
Numbers 2-5 are included in the relinquishing of disability allowance.
They do have to pay for fuel and oil and minor replacement parts, bulbs, wipers, fuses etc.
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### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yearly-tax-on-car-why/428587/53 "2007-12-12T16:10:52Z")
[QUOTE=control-z]
I’m sure they get taxes from you somehow. What other kinds of taxes/fees does your state/county have other than income and sales taxes?
[/QUOTE]
No income tax either. Sales tax is relatively high (8.25% max, depending on county)
We do pay to register our vehicles, the nominal $50 per year that **DSYoungEsq** mentions.
There is property tax, but it’s just real estate. My car, computer, etc… isn’t taxable, which is as it should be.
And yes, we just pay less taxes (as of 2005, anyway)
The state/local tax burden for Texas is 9.30%(43rd), while Kansas’ is 10.40%(15th).
[http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/taxesbystate2005/index.html](http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/taxesbystate2005/index.html)
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