Does Palm Beach county punish fine automobile owners with a tax? (low income, flat fee)

[PalmBeachQuestions]

I've narrowed my search down to just a couple of key areas to escape wealth punishment taxes in my current state(s) (NY & AZ). Since Florida has no income tax, Palm Beach is leading the way.

My question is in regards to vehicle registrations. In NY, I pay a fair flat fee just like the masses, regardless of the value of the car I'm registering. However, in AZ, I'm punished for driving finer automobiles. I just renewed registration on four of my cars and I paid fees of about $2,400, $1,900, $1,100, and $250.

Does Florida, and specifically Palm Beach county have a fair flat fee for vehicle registrations or do they punish those in finer vehicles with fees?

[City Guy997S]

No excise tax on vehicles...........just registration annually (but you can renew for 2 years at a time). The registration fees recently went up (almost doubled) but they are still less than $200 per vehicle and are based on the weight of the vehicle.

Sales tax is 6% on cars. A few counties have higher tax rates but the higher amount would only apply on the first 5K of the car purchase. 55K car bought in Dade county would be 5K at 7%, the other 50K at 6%.

[BillieUSA]

It is not the auto registration fees that are expensive, it is the auto insurance. Florida is a no-fault state, which means you pay high insurance so no matter whose fault it is, you can get paid on a claim. Insurance is expensive in Florida. Check out property taxes, too.

[PalmBeachQuestions]

Originally Posted by BillieUSA

It is not the auto registration fees that are expensive, it is the auto insurance. Florida is a no-fault state, which means you pay high insurance so no matter whose fault it is, you can get paid on a claim. Insurance is expensive in Florida. Check out property taxes, too.

Property taxes and auto insurance are still much less than what I pay in NY. More importantly, there is no income tax, which makes the largest difference. NY punishes you with a 8.97% state tax, 8% city tax, etc. Your total liability is about 53% on ordinary income, or $530,000 per million. In Florida I will take home about $170,000 more annually per million earned.

[SAKIRAV]

Originally Posted by BillieUSA

It is not the auto registration fees that are expensive, it is the auto insurance. Florida is a no-fault state, which means you pay high insurance so no matter whose fault it is, you can get paid on a claim. Insurance is expensive in Florida. Check out property taxes, too.

expensive but compared to where? Much cheaper for us here. THANK YOU FLORIDA

[Swimmom32]

Our car insurance here is a little cheaper than NJ and my property taxes in NJ were almost 13k but we dont have Property Tax to pay so we are ahead of the game....

[Bobstar]

What is wrong with people? Taxes are not a "wealth punishment." How do you expect the gov't to pave roads, provide for first responders and keep the low income off your grass? Why not take your millions and find a country where you can do better?

[PalmBeachQuestions]

Originally Posted by Bobstar

What is wrong with people? Taxes are not a "wealth punishment." How do you expect the gov't to pave roads, provide for first responders and keep the low income off your grass? Why not take your millions and find a country where you can do better?

Yes, of course things like roads and schools require funding. However, that needs to be done fairly so everyone pays the exact same amount, or via a sales tax. For example, why should someone be punished with higher taxes only because they take pride in their home and keep it nice, while a person that lives in a dump pays next to nothing? Seems backwards doesn't it..

The solution is to privatize emergency services, etc. Allow 911 to have your charge card on file and authorized (or insurance info), so tax dollars aren't wasted on those who can't afford services. School districts need to require staff to bid for positions annually, and whatever the annual budget comes to, every resident pays an equal share. So if a district needs $50M, and there are 10,000 residents, than every resident pays a fair $5,000.

Finally, you said "find a country where I can do better". No, I'm not leaving the USA. I'm just moving to the most competitive state in regards to tax fairness for the motivated, and that's FL. The only other place equally as great is South Dakota, but why would anyone reside somewhere that doesn't offer a single decent clothing store or place to service a quality car?

[Bobstar]

You will love Palm Beach. Welcome.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by PalmBeachQuestions

Finally, you said "find a country where I can do better". No, I'm not leaving the USA. I'm just moving to the most competitive state in regards to tax fairness for the motivated, and that's FL. The only other place equally as great is South Dakota, but why would anyone reside somewhere that doesn't offer a single decent clothing store or place to service a quality car?

TX, NH, WA are a few other places with no income tax either.