[Texans_JJWatt99]

Got a bill for nearly $450 in car tax. I drive a 2011 Accord with with 100k miles on it. Is this a joke? CT has done nothing but rape my wallet since moving here last year. Even with a nearly 25% salary increase, my standard of living relative to the Houston suburbs is far lower. I spent around $300 just to register my car and change my license. Crazy! Where exactly do the car tax funds go? They certainly don't go towards the roads; CT's interstates are the worst I've seen in the entire country!

BTW, what can they do if I don't pay the car tax? I have zero intention of living here long-term, so I don't really care if all they can do is suspend my ability to renew my registration.

[Sigequinox]

welcome to the liberal sinkhole of CT. The problem is only going to get worse as more major employers leave and the remaining middle class squeezed more still. I'm happy to hear the situation is only transient for you. To answer you're question: no, this is NOT a joke.

I'm not sure what happens when you don't pay;although I fully intend on not paying my last vehicle tax bill after I leave. Make sure you keep a running list of organizations for which you will need to change your address so you don't need to create a "mail forward" at the post office. In this case, you will never get the bill once gone. Good luck and godspeed.

[HumpDay]

I'm a West End Hartford resident who'll be paying a lot less this year on the car tax. The mill rate is capped at 32 mills regardless of where you live in CT even in Hartford which is 72ish. In 2017 it'll even drop more to 29.36 so we'll save more. I have a friend in Bridgeport who owns 5 cars with a family of 4 and their bill is $1,200. Thank god I'm not them.

[mlassoff]

If you drive with a suspended registration and are caught, you will have to park your car wherever your caught and not drive until it's registered. Most cops will have it towed. Quite an ordeal.

[SeaDoo342]

You really had no idea CT is expensive? It's probably the most expensive and tax burdened state in the country. Someone didn't do their homework before they negotiated a 25% salary increase, when the cost of living is probably double than Texas.. I'm not defending the insane cost of living here, but you have no room to complain. Do your homework next time...

[Dallascaper]

Originally Posted by Texans_JJWatt99

Got a bill for nearly $450 in car tax. I drive a 2011 Accord with with 100k miles on it. Is this a joke? CT has done nothing but rape my wallet since moving here last year. Even with a nearly 25% salary increase, my standard of living relative to the Houston suburbs is far lower. I spent around $300 just to register my car and change my license. Crazy! Where exactly do the car tax funds go? They certainly don't go towards the roads; CT's interstates are the worst I've seen in the entire country!

BTW, what can they do if I don't pay the car tax? I have zero intention of living here long-term, so I don't really care if all they can do is suspend my ability to renew my registration.

I hear you...I spent nearly 5 years in CT - beautiful state, but they do love their taxes up there. Anyway, I negotiated a decent salary increase when I was transferred from Texas to CT - did my time - and then used my higher CT salary as a baseline to negotiate a better salary with a different company in Georgia. In the long run, it worked out nice financially.


Best of luck.

[Stylo]

The car tax is not the DMV. It's your town. The revenue goes to municipal needs like schools, local roads, police, etc. It's a property tax meant to offset taxes on dwellings.

I assume you live in a very high tax city to be paying that much. I don't pay half that on my Audi.

If you don't pay it, they will likely take it to collections.

[NCOriolesfan]

Originally Posted by Texans_JJWatt99

Got a bill for nearly $450 in car tax. I drive a 2011 Accord with with 100k miles on it. Is this a joke? CT has done nothing but rape my wallet since moving here last year. Even with a nearly 25% salary increase, my standard of living relative to the Houston suburbs is far lower. I spent around $300 just to register my car and change my license. Crazy! Where exactly do the car tax funds go? They certainly don't go towards the roads; CT's interstates are the worst I've seen in the entire country!

BTW, what can they do if I don't pay the car tax? I have zero intention of living here long-term, so I don't really care if all they can do is suspend my ability to renew my registration.

I'm guessing you've never been to Alabama?

I'm not questioning you, but if your "standard of living" in Houston was so high why did you leave?

[JGBigGreen]

I've driven fairly extensively on the interstates in Alabama and, with the exception of a few urban stretches, I find them to be better maintained than Connecticut. (The mild winters likely have a great deal to do with this.) With regard to the urban interstates I would place them at the same level as Connecticuts' city interstates but not any worse.

Since an individual's driving experience is subjective, I thought it would also help to see this ranking of interstates:

https://reason.org/files/21st_annual_highway_report.pdf

[RunD1987]

I paid close to $950 last year for my 2013 Lease in car taxes. Think the city now only takes car taxes once a year instead of twice, could swear they use to take them twice. If taxes are used mostly for services you need when you need them: I.E. Police, Fire, E.M.S. Everything else can't see much taxes going into schools or the roads unfortunately.

Anyways yeah COL is way too high. I mean for rent your looking to pay anywhere between $1K or $1200 to find a decent safe place to live. Usually anything under is in an area with high crime. Most job's don't compensate the COL with pay. If any jobs in the state many are being cut/unstable due to CT'S high taxes/financial issues. The other issue and more Federal thing mandating companies to give employees health insurance causing them to cut hours and more part time jobs then full time jobs in the state.

Anyways that is CT can't do much about it. So far the state hasn't changed their mind yet, but car taxes are capped I think at 30% this year.