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homesnatch t1_jdhnokk wrote

Reply to comment by TheCavis in Sorry for the million posts! The RMV has postponed my license suspension for 60 days while they "investigate." Thanks u/SchminksMcGee for suggesting contacting the local news, it's working! And they're digging into the craziness of anyone who drives in MA for 30 days being required to dual-register. by bostonshopper

> $60 plate fee. If that's all we're looking at, it makes sense to cut bait and issue a stern warning at this point.

They'd also be on the hook for excise tax which is $25 per $1000 of value (based on a percentage of MSRP based on how old the car is)

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TheCavis t1_jdicwnf wrote

The MA excise tax page indicates it's less than that:

> If you own any motor vehicle that has been registered for less than a full calendar year, you will pay the excise based on the entire month when you registered that vehicle, as well as for the remaining months of the year.

> The abatement amount granted to taxpayers who have moved out of Massachusetts, transferred vehicle ownership, or had their vehicles stolen is based on the number of months remaining in the calendar year after the month the last eligibility requirement for the abatement takes place.

So, they would be charged excise tax starting the month they arrived and given an abatement for the months after they left. Even if we assume it's two calendar months, that's $4.16 per $1000 of vehicle value. His car model isn't specifically mentioned in the news story, but I think the picture is a Mazda 3 that's at least six years old (the headlights on post-2018 models are sharper and further down below the hood). If my guess is correct, then the excise is $4.16/$1000 times an excise calculation of 10% (more than 5 years old) of less than $30k original MSRP?

All I can imagine at this point is an accountant walking around the RMV yelling "With the plate fee, this bill comes to dozens of dollars. Dozens!"

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