Three of my cars came due in May, I paid ~$2,170 for the C63, Evoque, and a garage queen. Even worse is they f'd up the C reg., it wasn't supposed to be due until August. I went in with pw proving that it hadn't come through customs until Aug., but they couldn't change it. I paid for it last May and did Euro Delivery in June. So, I paid for 3 months of reg. that I got ripped for.

 

I don't see this as a "fair" tax at all. I have a modest income and a modest home. I happen to prioritize having a nice car, and that is about the only luxury I have.. And $38,000 for a NEW car is not all that extravagant nowadays. Paying several hundreds of $ tax over and over again every year to use the very same roads as the guy with the 20 year old car who pays no tax, makes little sense and is certainly not fair.

Gas taxes tax you loosely based on your use of public roads and of your vehicle's inefficiency and impact on the environment. Those are fair. The more you use and pollute, the more tax you pay. My car can sit in the garage 365 days a year and I would still be paying 20 times what my neighbor pays to drive his old beat up pickup 20k miles/year.

One could argue that my technologically advanced car with better fuel economy and safety features is a benefit to the greater good of society. Why am I penalized for that? Maybe I too should drive an 80's era gas guzzling pickup like most of the people around here?

People get a bad attitude about taxes when those taxes are blantantly unbalanced or unfair to certain people who fall into traps created by a system in need of an overhaul. The state of Virginia considers any vehicle over $20,000 to be luxurious.

When I get my personal property tax bill for the G37, I will post it here. The rates just increased substantially. I would be thrilled if my bill is less than $800 for this year.

 

In WA state, first year reg for my 2013 xS is $248 including about $20 in agent fees and $5 donation to state parks. Typically my renewals for similar cars are around $180 per year. I am not in Seattle/King county, just outside of it (Snohomish county) where I hear registration is a bit more. And we have no state income tax (yet), sales tax around 10%, depending on county. Property taxes for a 350K house are around $2700 / year where I live.

 

Wow! What cheap property taxes.
A similar house in NJ the property taxes are over $10k.
I spent 7 months at Fort Lewis back in the sixties.
The only thing I miss in Washington State is Mount Rainier.

Telcoman

 

Just playing devil's advocate here:

How fair is it to tax somebody who can barely afford a $500 car to get to their minimum wage job the same amount as the person who lives comfortably enough that they can prioritize their finances this way? Shouldn't people with means be willing to support a greater amount of the burden if they have a proportionally greater income?

Alright, now that we have that out of the way: $800?!?!? That's crazy. That's worse than the usual fleecing that Chicagoans get.

 

I agree with the philosophy notapreppie... But one could also look at it this way:

Poorer people can not afford the taxes if they get a newer safer car with airbags and ABS. Or they fear the tax burden because they've heard others talk about it and perhaps don't understand the calculations. Is it fair to make it even harder than it already is for poorer people to have safety systems that most of us take for granted nowadays?

There's a lot of misinformation going around too. Many people in VA, in the more rural areas, will not consider getting a more expensive car because they've heard of others big tax bills. So they keep rolling in the old unsafe car (our state inspections are a JOKE here) at all costs. I am not talking about a luxury car. They don't want to upgrade from a $2000 car to a $8000 car because of the tax.

Virginia also does not require car insurance - if you choose no insurance, then you pay a small penalty to the state.

So, they encourage poorer people to drive old cars without any modern safety systems, and also make it possible to drive without insurance. This seems like a tragic accident and personal bankruptcy just waiting to happen (I see and hear of them all the time).

I'm totally fine asking the people with means to support more of the burden, but the system in VA is outdated and I believe that there are unintended consequences of the current system.

 

What!!??

 

Copied From VA DMV:

Insurance Requirements

To purchase license plates or decals, you must certify that the vehicle is covered by the minimum insurance requirements or pay the uninsured motor vehicle fee.

The $500 Uninsured Motor Vehicle (UMV) fee, which is paid to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), does not provide any insurance; it only allows you to drive an uninsured vehicle at your own risk. It expires with your registration and must be paid at renewal.



Look, this is a very weird state.
Only 5 years ago, Sangria was ILLEGAL. Couldn't serve it, couldn't buy it.
Living together unmarried couples was ILLEGAL until just this July 1st 2013.
It takes exactly 15 minutes to purchase a handgun and bullets, no permit required, no training required. Just bring your two forms of identification to the gun store.

I don't care where one stands on the political spectrum... you have to admit the laws here are very strange.
.

 

135.00 every 2 years here in Maryland. It just went up, it was previously $110.

 

So is governor ultrasound

Telcoman

 

Well I've seen this film and must admit the folks from West Virginia (at least the ones in this area) are very strange indeed. BTW, this is white trash entertainment at its' best
The Wild And Wonderful Whites of West Virginia: Official Site