Vehicle Sales Tax Questions

nj2pa2nc

when we moved from nj to pa there was no extra fees charged besides the usual reg. fees. When we moved from pa to nc we were charged the max. highway use tax $150.00 plus the reg. fees for each of our cars. The tax is 3%. about 3 months after that we received our personal property tax bill which cost less than $100.00 for the 2 cars

dawnrinchicago

We live 3/4 of the time in Chicago, IL, but want to lease in MI, to take advantage of Honda's .00158 regional money factor offer. We live 1/4 of the time in MI, maintain a residence, have local bank accounts, etc.

The sales tax on the minivan is about $900 in MI and $2200 in Chicago.

Is it possible to lease and register in MI?

kyfdx

Driver's license... what state? I think that might be your answer...

Though, it sure would be worth giving the Michigan thing a shot.. It is a substantial amount of money.

dawnrinchicago

Driver's license in IL.

kyfdx

...is when you get pulled over in Illinois, with an IL license and a Michigan registration (your MI registration).

Police in high-tax states (whether sales or property taxes) that are near the border of low-tax states, are usually on the lookout for tax scofflaws.

My state has a fairly high property tax, while our neighbor to the north does not. I live about 3 miles from the state line, and 20 years ago, it was common for executives who worked across the state line to title their cars in their business name. It got to be a big issue... to the point where the local police would put up a roadblock and check registrations.. Even cars that were owned by a corporation were required to pay local property taxes, if they were used for personal transportation by the driver.

Just one example..

dawnrinchicago

Well, if I pay IL tax, can I still lease in MI to take advantage of the .00158 money factor offered in MI (but not in IL)?

I see what you are saying, but I live in MI one week a month! That seems close enough for me!

odymia

Recently bought a Honda Odyssey after bargaining for a certain OTD price I wanted. Got a call today that the dealership put down the Ventura County sales tax of 7.25% instead of the Los Angeles County sales tax of 8.25%. I was told that I had to come back to the dealership to re-do the paperwork and that I owed an extra $300. Is this mistake the dealership's fault or do I just have to hold my tongue?
Secondly, am I able to use my parent's address in Orange County since I do stay there quite a bit, or just my current apartment address?

nj2pa2nc

It sounds like an honest mistake to me. If it were the other way around you would expect them to give you a refund so just hold your tongue. What address to you have on your driver's license. You might be able to use your parent's address but I am not 100% sure.

tidester

I do stay there quite a bit, or just my current apartment address?

What is your legal residence?

tidester, host

bobst

I don't see a need to go back to the dealer. You paid them money and they gave you a car. The deal is over.

Yeah, they may have made an honest mistake. So what? They made the mistake and they should pay for it.

kyfdx

If you don't have a title/registration yet... and the tax hasn't been paid, then the dealer has the hammer.

My guess is... you'll have to pay the tax you owe, or you won't be able to register and get plates for your car.

nj2pa2nc

so if the dealer made the mistake that caused the buyer to overpay by $300.00 the dealer does not have to refund that money- that would be only fair right since the deal is over.

bobst

The tax has been paid. It was included in his OTD price.

After paying for the car, it is the dealer's responsibility to register the car and get the license plates.

kyfdx

That won't fly where I live... The dealer may act as your agent, and do the registration paperwork for you... but, the taxes and registration aren't his responsibility..

Actually, you have to sign a limited power of attorney, so they can do it for you..

Once your temporary tags run out, the police don't care whose fault it is. You won't have a car to drive, legally.

bobst

Yes, that's right. When the deal is over, it is over, and the buyer should not ask for a refund.

In this case, the buyer made an OTD offer. When the dealer accepted, I assume the buyer paid exactly what he had offered, just like we do when we buy a car.

bobst

That doesn't make any sense. We buyers are not supposed to know all of the car related fees and tax laws in each county.

That is why we always make our OTD offers in writing and we speficy the dealer is responsible for all taxes and fees to get the car registered, and we keep a copy for ourselves. If the dealer accepts our check but then does not do what is required to register the car, I am sure the court would make them do it.

odymia

I ended up getting all weather floor mats, gas, and a car wash for their mistake. Although I think it is bad business to call back in a week and say that an additional $300 is owed on the car after the initial deal is done. Who knows, I may have negotiated harder or not bought the car at all. I kept worrying that they wouldn't register my car or would try and ruin my credit.

kyfdx

Not "we".. "you"

I think you are the only one that does that.. Anyway, I wouldn't put my faith in the court..

I don't know all the tax laws in my county, either... but, when I go to the courthouse, I have to pay whatever they say...

bobst

Sounds like good business to me. They made $300 very easily.

bobst

Yes, it is 'we'. My wife and I are together when we buy a car.

I haven't gone to the courthouse to register a car since I bought a used TR250 in 1970.

However, if the dealer accepted our OTD offer and then refused to pay the taxes and fees necessary to register the car, you can bet we would be at the courthouse very, very quickly!

kyfdx

I guess the "bobst method" leaves you a lot of spare time?

steve326a

Back in October, I registered my car. Here in MA, you pay the sales tax at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). I bought the car in VA for 3100.00. MA wouldn't accept the price because it was not a MA licensed dealer so they charged me tax on 4200.00. I politely questioned that and a MA State Trooper came up and threatened to cuff me and stuff me for questioning him. I was told that it is what it is and I am to pay what I'm told and not to question it again or else. Suck it up and like it too.

Steve :shades:

bobst

I am not surprised by your story, Steve. The leaders in MA expect you to do things their way.

Back in my grandpa's time, we Virginians tried to assert our independence and join the CSA, but the folks in Massachusetts stopped us.

You should be glad you got off easy.

In all honesty, I think the MA policy is fair. If you are going to drive your car on their roads, you should pay whatever fee they want.

nj2pa2nc

the dealer is not always responsible to pay taxes and fees to get the car registered. I live in NC and bought my last new car in PA. The dealer put an in-transit temporary 30-day paper plate on my car. I was responsible to pay the taxes and registration fees. OTD prices sometimes do not include those fees.

bobst

"OTD prices sometimes do not include those fees."

From my experience buying cars since 1994 with OTD offers, the dealer has always paid all of the fees and taxes necessary to register the car. This was true even when I bought a car in Maryland while living in Virginia.

nj2pa2nc

when we lived in NJ and bought a new car in Pa the dealer did take care of all the fees and taxes necessary to register the car. They took care of it as they were close to the nj border and could do it. If I bought the car in NC instead of Pa the OTD price would not end there. About 3 months after the car has been registered I get a personal property tax bill from the county I live in for the car. I am now waiting to get that bill for my acura. luckily the county I live in has one of the lowest rates. less than 1%

bobst

Yeah, personal property are not included in our OTD offers.

The dealer pays the cost of getting the car initially registered. After that, we pay the cost, such as the personal property tax, to keep it registered. That has always seemed fair to me.

dkendall

Hi,

I recently purchased a car from Enterprise Car Sales in San Leandro, Ca. I live in North Carolina. This was a telephone transaction, and the paperwork was sent to me to sign and send back. The car was then shipped to me in North Carolina (I paid the shipping fees).

I paid CA sales tax on the vehicle, according to my contract, in the amount of $1,667.23. I also paid a CA license fee in the amount of $15. I didn't know of these things when I purchased the car. It wasn't until AFTER I received the car that I found out from Enterprise that I was responsible for registering the car in my home state. So this week I went to the NC DMV. They inform me that I must pay NC sales tax in the amount of $637.

Do I have to pay sales tax to both states? I feel that Enterprise was wrong to charge me the CA tax.

Also, I have a CA tag on the car that expires in 9 days. I can't get the NC tag because I don't have the title yet.
Should Enterprise have issued me a temporary tag? I have been arguing with them this past week about the fees they charged me...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

nj2pa2nc

i do not know about CA but when I bought my 06 acura from a dealer in PA I did not pay any sales tax. They put on a 30-day temporary in-transit paper plate on the car, cost $40.00. When I registered it in North Carolina, where I also live (near Wilmington) I paid the 3% tax (highway use as it is called in NC) and other reg. fees. I am now waiting to receive the personal property tax bill.

cccompson

Did you present paperwork to NC showing that you had already paid the CA tax? If so, you should get credit up to that amount. Oh, you don't have the title yet so I assume you haven't actually seen any NC official in person.

Buying out of state typically presents some challenges and it's always best to do some research ahead of time.

nj2pa2nc

it does pay to do thorough research on out-of-state car purchases. Before we did our purchase we went car shopping at dealers near us. when we found that we could get a much lower price at the dealer in Pa we told the local dealer. He then tried to tell us that Nc would not recognize the out-of-state trade (we we trading our old car) and we would have to pay the tax on the full price. we went to the Ncdv and were told nc taxes on the price after trade-in even out-of-state sales. If you notice the CA sales tax is $l,000.00 more than NC. I really doubt NC is going to give a credit for that.

durealt

How does the dealership calculate sales tax on a leased vehicle? Is it paid with my monthly payments?

tidester

If I am not mistaken, New Jersey is one of the few states where you have the choice of either paying sales tax up front or on payments. Can anyone verify?

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

audia8q

Isnt NJ the state that taxes the depreciation amount on the lease and not the cap cost or monthly payment like most states??

kyfdx

I think that is correct.... They tax depreciation and the state collects it upfront.

Of course, you can always have the upfront amount added to your CAP cost and pay it out over time in your monthly payment.. (which I think you can do in any state that collects the tax upfront).

regards,
kyfdx

steve326a

In MA you pay full book value sales tax in full up front period.

Steve

joel0622

I will try to shed some light for some of you. I have been in the Car Business for 15 years and worked the last 5 in Finance.

In most states the way it works is if you finance the car then it is the dealers responsibility to collect sales tax from you and record the lien. The way the lien is recorded is the taxes are paid and title applied for. If you don't finance the car but live in the state you are purchasing in the the dealer has to collect sales tax. You are allowed to do your own tag/title work.

If you live out side of the state and are paying cash then the dealer does not have to collect sales tax. You sign an "Out of State Tax Affidavit" which states that you will register the car in a different state.

Sales tax differ greatly from state to state. Not only the amount but the $ figure you pay it on. Here in TN we pay on the trade difference. Meaning if you are buying a $30 car with a $10K trade in you only pay tax on the $20K difference.

In KY it differs from county to county, in some Counties you pay sales tax on the full MSRP of the vehicle regardless what you paid for it.

nj2pa2nc

I bought my car in Pa and live in NC. I financed some of it. The dealer in Pa did not collect any taxes and I did not have to sign any "out of state tax affidavit. They put a 30-day temporary in-transit paper plate on my car. When I registered the car in NC I paid the tax (3% highway use tax as it is called here) and some other fees. In Nc they deduct the trade-in also. as you wrote each state seems to be different

jeriah

I live in Virginia and plan to gift my vehicle (valued around $15,000) to my sister. Will she be required to pay the 3% sales/use tax on the value of the car even though it is a gift? I know there is an affidavit form she may need to have signed, but if the sale is listed as $1 will that suffice to avoid the sales/use tax in Virginia?

Thanks

bobst

We live in VA. We have given a few cars to our children and I am pretty sure they did not have to pay any sales tax.

Our son gave us back his 10 year old Nissan, probably had a blue book around $1800, and I did not have to pay any tax to register it.

jeriah

Thanks for the tip. I read somewhere in this thread, for another state, that it may differ if it's a parent to child relationship. Do you know if it matters if it's a sister to brother relationship?

bobst

Nope, got no idea.

joel0622

Jeria, once again it varies from state to state but you can eith call your clerks office or do a google search and it will probably answer your question

cccompson

Beware that you may be liable for Federal gift taxes on such a transaction. IIRC, the yearly limit is now $11,000.

mdvwb5

Hello,
I am moving to Ohio from New Hampshire and I just bought a new car. I don't pay sales tax in New Hampshire but Ohio does have a sales tax. Will they charge me sales tax when I register my new car in Ohio? Does it matter that I have only owned the car for about 30 days?

Thanks,
MD

michigal

I'm currently a resident of Louisiana, but moving to NC in a few months; I also have a rental address in NC right now. Since the sales tax seems to be considerably less in NC, I'd like to title it there & pay sales tax & regis to NC (I think NC is ~ 3% tax, vs ~8.75% LA tax). Is there any way that LA can claim that I am still a resident here? I own a home here, but will be renting it until I sell. Does anyone have any experience with this? esp w/ La? Hope to buy soon, would really appreciate any help! thanks!

cccompson

No and no.

joel0622

Here is a list for all 50 states liscense and lien info. They can answer your questions or tell you where to find out. I apologize in advance for any typos I may have made typing the numbers.

ALABAMA 334-242-9000
ALASKA 907-269-5551
ARIZONA 602-269-5551
CALIFORNIA 800-777-0133
COLORADO 303-205-5607
CONNETICUT 860-263-5700
DELAWARE 302-744-2502
DC 202-727-5000
FLORIDA 850-922-9000
GEORGIA 404-362-6500
HAWAII 808-532-7700
IDAHO 208-333-8663
ILLINOIS 217-785-3000
INDIANA 317-233-6000
IOWA 515-237-3110
KANSAS 785-296-3621
KENTUCKY 502-564-2737
LOUISINA 212-925-6146
MAINE 207-624-9000
MARYLAND 301-729-4550
MASSACHU 617-351-4500
MICHIGAN 517-322-1460
MINNESOTA 651-296-6911
MISSISSIPI 601-923-7141
MISSOURI 573-751-4509
MONTANA 406-846-6000
NEBRASKA 402-471-3918
NEVADA 775-684-4368
NEW HAMP 6603-271-2251
NEW JERSEY 609-292-6500
NEW MEXICO 505-827-0700
NEW YORK 518-486-4714
N CAROLINA 919-715-7000
N DAKOTA 701-328-2725
OHIO 614-752-7671
OKLAHOMA 405-521-3221
OREGON 503-945-5000
PENNSYLVANIA717-391-6190
RHODE ISLAND401-588-3020
S CAROLINA 803-737-4000
S DAKOTA 605-773-3541
TENNESSEE 615-741-3101
TEXAS 512-465-7911
UTAH 800-368-8824
VERMONT 802-828-2000
VIRGINIA 804-367-0538
WASHINGTON 360-902-3770
W VIRGINIA 304-558-3900
WISCONSIN 608-266-1466
WYOMING 307-777-4709

rsharrill

Kirstie, in the military - we are allowed to have vehicles registered out-of-state legally, and indeed it's okay to have an expired driver's license too (up to 3 yrs)-but need a valid active duty military ID. I am also active duty for 19yrs now with no problems doing this. Once a military member leaves active duty - they must choose a final state of residence and properly register/title their vehicle there. Is there some other aspect you are aware of which I'm not thinking about?

pat

Really? I knew that as an active duty service member you may declare a state of residence other than one in which your duty has placed you, but I did not know that you don't have to keep your driver's license valid in at least one state. That seems odd to me. :confuse: