MA Auto Excise Tax ! (insurance, to buy, luxury)

[Logs and Dogs]

Originally Posted by Verio

I never heard of an Auto Excise tax until I moved to the Northeast. It often makes me wonder how states like Oregon (where I grew up) are able to do so well for themselves, yet hardly tax at all.

What made the whopper for me was moving to Mass. and then getting two auto excise taxes after being here for 2 months, for over 400 dollars. Excellent.

It’s all about how much the state spends/squanders. Tax revenue has to keep up with spending for the most part and if they don’t get you one way, they get you another way………..

Gas tax
Sales tax
Meals taxes
Excise taxes
Property taxes
Income taxes
Capital gains taxes
DMV fees
Utility taxes
Taxes on taxes

The list keeps going.

I made a mistake a while back of calculating within a good degree of accuracy how much my wife and I spend on taxes in a year and it was roughly 37% of our income. Yikes.

[bmak57]

According to Forbes, Massachusetts had the highest average state tax burden per capita in 2009 at roughly $2950. Ahead of us are:

New York @ $3019
New Jersey @ $3024
Minnesota @ $3203
Connecticut @ $3596
Hawaii @ $3856

And finally #1 (drum roll please)

Vermont @ $3861

[Logs and Dogs]

Bmak57......that is freakin' great.....the two states I live in VT and MA.....awesome.

Then again it isn't like I'm not aware of it.

The income tax burden and property taxes in VT are the killers. I pay twice as much in property taxes in VT as I do in MA on a house worth 25% more.

[Bandit]

Try buying a new car trailer from a dealer with a list price of $ 3600 , buying it from said dealer and paying the sales tax on $ 3600 . and being hit with a Excise Tax on a value of $ 6300 ? and can't get it reduced/corrected ? Can You say Dyslexic state employes .
And they wonder why there are so many trailers Legally Registered in Maine by out of staters , and soon to be another one.
Bob

[Fitgerald]

Auto excise tax, one of the many reasons I moved out of Massachusetts. It's nothing more than a penalty for having a vehicle (you environment killing elitists...) , and a neat way of taxing you out of owning a car so you have no choice but to ride the T. I pay 24 dollars a year now to register my car, and 10 dollars for the annual emissions test.

[Bandit]

Originally Posted by Fitgerald

Auto excise tax, one of the many reasons I moved out of Massachusetts. It's nothing more than a penalty for having a vehicle (you environment killing elitists...) , and a neat way of taxing you out of owning a car so you have no choice but to ride the T. I pay 24 dollars a year now to register my car, and 10 dollars for the annual emissions test.

That is why Tn. is one of the states We are considering moving too .
I thought You didn't have an emissions test ? Bob

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by Fitgerald

It's nothing more than a penalty for having a vehicle (you environment killing elitists...) , and a neat way of taxing you out of owning a car so you have no choice but to ride the T.

Something tells me you left for more than excise tax. And "taxing you out of owning a car" give me a break. I think the most I ever paid for excise tax on one of my vehicles was about $1,000- the car was brand new. The tax goes down significantly as the car ages.

Don't get me wrong, I am not for the excise tax as the revenue does not support what it is supposed to but let's not misrepresent the cost or the motives behind it: No choice but to ride the T??

[Logs and Dogs]

The excise tax, while ridiculous is the least of my worries as far as taxes in MA go.

If you’re talking about an expensive new car that costs $30K and it is a current model year you will be hit with about $675 for excise which is a good amount for most people, but then again, you just bought a $30K car.

If it came down to dropping the income tax rate to 5% like we voted for years ago or eliminating the Excise, I’ll probably vote for the income tax reduction.

[MAbound]

So are you saying that I should buy my car out of state if possible? My license and 'home' is in NY right now. Or are ppl gonna give me looks coz I'm driving with NY plates?

[Beachcomber4]

Excise tax is assessed annually. It's the gift that keeps on giving. You will be subject to it when you register your vehicle in MA. I am not sure how long you have once you move here to register your vehicle in MA.