Excise Tax!?

[Soggy]

So I just moved to this fun place called Massachusetts a few months ago.

Yesterday, I got a bill, "Motor Vehicle Excise Tax." It is like $132. I'm thinking, what the f?

The tax is outlined here:
http://www.state.ma.us/sec/cis/cisexc/excidx.htm



Can someone explain to me how this is not double taxation? It appears to be a tax that I pay so I can drive my car on the road. Isn't that why they charge me for my registration (which cost me well over $100 also)?


I'm pretty annoyed about it as you can tell. I really just needed to vent. I'll bend over and take it just like everyone else in the state, but I don't understand it. :bonk:


What other unjustified taxes should I expect in the mail? Good thing I claimed a couple extra exemptions for my income tax so I get a nice refund back to pay for this crap.

Yes...I would like some cheese with that whine.

 

[MechDiver]

Up until a couple years ago, registration in Washington state cost me about $400 per vehicle. About $350 of that was excise tax. The money has to come from somewhere.

MD

 

[Soggy]

MechDiver once bubbled...
Up until a couple years ago, registration in Washington state cost me about $400 per vehicle. About $350 of that was excise tax. The money has to come from somewhere.

MD

In VT they stopped charging the tax a while back because they realized it wasn't fair. New York has no such tax also. Both states have decent economies. Massachusetts does a bunch of things differently (such as insurance) that screw the residents.

 

[notabob]

Excise is actually pretty common, a number of states have it. I used to live in Maine and had to pay it there too. It's actually higher in ME! Registration is actually for the plates. And unless you get special or vanity plates, it's pretty reasonable at $41 for 2 years. Excise tax is for use of state roads, and is calculated based on the value of your car. It will be getting smaller every year. Shouldn't be any more taxes. Overall, in Mass. the car costs are:

Registration (every 2 yrs)
Excise tax (every year)
Inspection (every year)
License renewal (every 5 yrs)
Insurance (every year)
Speeding tickets (whenever, in Aaron's case, every few months )

-Roman.

 

[shellbird]

I pay $900 to the City for my vehicle's property tax.... UG.

 

[Spectre]

AaronBBrown once bubbled...
In VT they stopped charging the tax a while back because they realized it wasn't fair. New York has no such tax also.

Aaron, was the cost of the car registration the same every year, or did it change? In New Hampshire; there is no stated 'excise tax' but when your register your car, you write two checks. One for the state [a flat rate of $32.50 or something close] and then a check to the town for some variable rate depending on the make/model/age of your car.

Part of that cost to the state is technically an excise tax. However since it's not specifically stated to be an excise tax, it's a pain to deal with come tax return time if you itemize.

 

[Soggy]

notabob once bubbled...
Registration is actually for the plates. And unless you get special or vanity plates, it's pretty reasonable at $41 for 2 years.

If it's just for the plates, $41 is insane for two pieces of painted sheet metal made by prisoners. I used to work at a plant that made aperature masks for television sets and computer monitors. This involved a very complicated printing and chemical etching process. They sold the parts for a few pennies a piece.

Don't forget the $50 "title" fee for getting a piece of paper printed and mailed to you. Or the $87.50 they charge when "converting" an out of state license PLUS the $52.50 license fee. These fees are significantly higher than they are in VT and NY. Now I have to pay some random fee on top of all of that? That is crazy.

Compare these fees to NY:
Registration: $41.50
Title fee: $5
Vehicle Use Tax: $5 (kinda like an excise tax, I suppose)
Plate fee: $5.50
License fee: $41


There's a bit of a difference. When I did all the registration, license jazz in MA, I wrote out a check for ~$250. In NY it was like $100.

Like I said...I'll bend over and take it like every other MA resident, but I don't like it. I just felt like venting.

 

[Soggy]

Spectre once bubbled...
Aaron, was the cost of the car registration the same every year, or did it change? In New Hampshire; there is no stated 'excise tax' but when your register your car, you write two checks. One for the state [a flat rate of $32.50 or something close] and then a check to the town for some variable rate depending on the make/model/age of your car.

Part of that cost to the state is technically an excise tax. However since it's not specifically stated to be an excise tax, it's a pain to deal with come tax return time if you itemize.

I don't remember the details in VT, but I posted NY's above.

The other part of this that is insane is paying an excise tax based on the perceived value of my vehicle. Of course that doesn't take mileage into consideration which is the biggest variable. Why should I pay a higher tax because I bought my car last year? It seems a flat rate would make much more sense. My car probably does less damage to the roads and environment than someone's 15 year old beater that they only have to pay $10/year for.
Way to promote environmental responsibility, MA!

 

[gmbaker]

What does Raxafarian's car have to do with all this

AaronBBrown once bubbled...


....My car probably does less damage to the roads and environment than someone's 15 year old beater that they only have to pay $10/year for.

 

[Spectre]

gmbaker once bubbled...
What does Raxafarian's car have to do with all this

Rax dishes out $10 a year for that thing??? What a rip off. Think about the fill you could get for that!