Vehicle Sales Tax Questions

euphonium

Does the GA dealer have a NY tax number? That establishes the relationship. One of my eyebrows is raised? :surprise:

jfitz2

I can tell you how my experience worked. I recently (May 2009) purchased a used Volvo in South Carolina and I live in Texas. I had the same concerns as you with the transaction. The way it worked for me and likely will work for you is that I paid the Sales tax to the dealer in South Carolina and they processed all the paperwork and sent the check/paperwork etc. off to the tax office in Texas. They sent a portion of the tax money to the South Carolina (the max auto sales tax in S.C. is $300) tax office and the rest to the Texas tax office. As long as the tax office in your home state is provided with proof that you have paid enough taxes you are good. One thing that could be a problem is if the tax rate in Georgia is more than New York, you will not get any money returned to you should you overpay - so beware of this. The other thing to watch for is that (in Texas at least) you are required to register the vehicle within 30 days, so the dealer needs to send off the paperwork/check reasonably quickly. I would also add that tax fraud/problems are generally not something that dealers like to take a chance on so as long as this is a bigger, 'reputable' dealer, you should have nothing to worry about. Hope this helps.

oldfarmer50

"...not going to be a hassle to register once we get it back to New York..."

In NY who ever registers the car pays the sales tax. If the dealer is not doing that for you, you may get a rude surprise when you go to the DMV to do it yourself.

euphonium makes a good point, if the dealer does not have a NYS "certificate of authority" to collect sales tax he can't do that for you. Better check before you hand over any money. NY wants their money and they don't care if you already paid to the dealer. They will demand you pay or no registration.

oldfarmer50

"...if the tax rate in Georgia is more than New York..."

LOL Not much chance of that!

jfitz2

Doing a quick search reveals that New York and Georgia are actually pretty close:

http://www.kiplinger.com/php/cartax.html

jfitz2

The dealer does not need a 'certificate of authority' or need to have a registered NY sales tax number . I have just gone through this scenario, albeit in different states. When it comes to sales tax, all states work under the premise of reciprocity when it comes to collection of sales tax.

fordfool

> Doing a quick search reveals that New York and Georgia are actually pretty close:

Sales tax is a combination of state, county, and local taxes. Atlanta is 7% (but 6% in neighboring Cobb County). Buffalo, New York is 8.75% while New York City is 8.88%.

I paid more in sales tax for my present car than I paid in total for a 1963 Buick Wildcat in 1965 or a 1968 Cougar in 1970. New York also taxes rebates such as the CFC money.

jfitz2

I was only charged the state tax (6.25%), there were no additional county or local taxes added when I registered in Texas.

oldfarmer50

"...NY and Georgia are actually pretty close..."

In NY sales tax is collected by the state (4.25%), the county and sometimes local government. That can more than double the actual tax due. I don't know if Georgia has something similar but I doubt it. Nobody taxes like NY.

oldfarmer50

"...dealer does not need a "certificate of authority"..."

Darned if you aren't right. I checked with my contact in NYS T&F and the dealer in Georgia can take your sales tax and "pass it on" without actually "collecting" it. Funny, a NY business can't do that, hence my confusion.

Just be sure you calculate it correctly for your local address as it can vary from 7% to over 9%.

One more thing, if after all your due diligence you still get a bill from NY, you can file form DTF-804 with your receipt from the dealer in Georgia.

bigdadi118

In Aug I just bought a used car $18,019 and paid 6.25% sale tax to state ... I heard that Obama will give this a break of some kind tax deduction / credit ... how does this work?

oldfarmer50

"...how does it work..."

I'm pretty sure it only applies to NEW cars.

volvomax

It does only apply to new cars.

earthlings

Is the sales tax cheaper to buy a car in Indiana than in any counties in the Chicagoland area :confuse: ?

fushigi

Yes, but it doesn't matter. If you buy a car in IN and are either an IL resident or move to IL within something like 90 days you will owe IL sales tax when you register the car at the IL DMV. I imagine the reverse is true. You should then be able to petition IN to get the IN tax refunded.

Some dealers in the Hammond area are able to charge IL tax up front, sparing the hassle. I believe this is because they are part of dealer groups with operations in both states.

I went through this in '93 when I moved from IN to IL after just buying a car. But as my experience is somewhat dated, I'd advise you call either state's DMV and ask them. You might also try the IL DMV site at http://cyberdriveillinois.com.

softway

I live in California, I'm planning to fly to Arizona to buy a used-car and I'll be driving it back to California. The dealer said there's a 2% tax if I do that. Conversely if I bought the car and let the dealer ship it to me I can avoid the 2% tax. I'll ask the dealer to show me documents to validate the legitimacy but has anyone heard of this before?

jfitz2

When you register the car in CA you will be required to pay the difference between any Sales tax you paid in Arizona and what is charged in CA (8.25% I think). The dealer will likely collect Arizona sales tax and send the documentation on to your local CA tax office for registration. When you register in CA you will need to pay them the difference. Obviously the appropriate documentation is needed to prove you paid a portion of the Sales tax to Arizona so that you do not end up over paying. There is no extra tax for picking up a car versus having it shipped. You just have to weigh the cost of delivery fee's versus getting there and driving back.

krc3221

Hi,
I was told that the dealer cash would have to be taxed and then the $500 would be subtracted after. That doesn't seem right to me since the dealer is getting the cash from the manufacturer so why would I pay tax on it. I would figure the $500 to be subtracted from the purchase price before tax. I am in Illinois if that makes a difference. I am going tonight so any help, much appreciated!

euphonium

It was explained to me the $500 paid to the dealer is the same amount credited to you. Think of the $500 part of what you pay, but coming from another source for your benefit.

tom261

I have an antique car im trading for a late model car. its an even trade of titles. my title is Illinois and the trade title is Wisconsin. If we draft a bill of sale that explains this is an even trade (no exchange of money) is their any liability to pay any taxes?

euphonium

You may be asked to show proof of having paid S.T. when you purchased the trade in. What you paid then would be deducted from the gross S.T. & you would pay the difference.

tom261

thanks for your reply. hmmm...I don't have any receipt from the purchase in2004, just the title. But the the last sentence sorry I don't understand what you mean.

dave_man

Hello,
I am a new Mass registered dealer and have a buyer from Germany on 4 antique cars.
Is there an export tax that someone owes?
Thanks

jwm40517

KY Revenue determined that the voucher payment from NHTSA constitutes a sale to the federal goverment. Therefore, this portion of federal credit applied to reduce the new car buyer's purchase price is not subject to Kentucky's sales and use tax.

The above is a quote from the Sept 2009 Kentucky Sales Tax Facts. I took a copy to the local Honda dealer where I purchased in August. They seemed surprised about it, but said they would check on it. Today they gave me a copy of a letter to send to KY Revenue requesting a refund of $210.00 based on my rebate of $3500.00. Will let you know how it comes out.

Ky buyers should check their purchase orders to see if tax was calculated before or after the C4C rebate.

euphonium

Come Fed tax time, don't be surprised if the IRS regards the CFC as income, because it is, & wants everybody to pay their fair share of tax on it.

tidester

don't be surprised if the IRS regards the CFC as income...

Not gonna happen. The CARS bill was quite explicit on that point. The rebate will not be subject to income tax.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

british_rover

This is probably the fourth or fifth time I have seen you spread this kind of misinformation on what the CARS bill said. Why do you keep posting what is completely false information?

hackattack5

Here is the whole story:
As you're aware by now, yesterday's big news was H.R. 3435, the emergency legislation passed by the House of Representatives authorizing an additional $2B for the CARS scrappage scheme. As had been widely reported on Thursday, the clunkers program appeared to have run out of money a lot sooner than anyone had expected, sending legislators in favor of it into a panic. After a period of impassioned floor debate (the Michigan delegation appeared on the verge of a collective nervous breakdown, treating the possible suspension of C4C as the apocalypse), the resolution passed and will head on to the Senate next week for additional debate and a final vote. In the meantime, Cash for Clunkers stays online. For dealers, however, the action in the House wasn't the only important news to come out yesterday.

According to Automotive News, NHTSA -- the government bureaucracy responsible for administering the CARS program -- conducted a webinar for automobile dealers last Monday. During that session, retailers were reportedly told that the federal rebate cash they'd be receiving would be non-taxable. Now, for the buyers trading in so-called clunkers, this is indeed the case. Unfortunately for car dealers, however, it appears that NHTSA got the explanation wrong. In fact, AN reports that the IRS issued an advisory bulletin yesterday confirming that yes, the federal rebates dealerships receive for CARS trades count as taxable gross income.

Apparently, some retailers believed that since their customers weren't getting taxed, neither were they. And if the Automotive News account of events is accurate, it's fairly obvious that NHTSA didn't fully understand the tax implications either when they conducted their webinar. As a result, some dealer smiles around the country are likely turning into frowns this weekend. The money line in the AN piece comes from Dick Heider, a dealer accountant who points out that the CARS cash simply counts as a normal payment to the retailer, and thus is taxable. "What you are dealing with are people who don't understand accounting," he says. Apparently, on all sides of the equation.

euphonium

Thank you!

euphonium

Refer to post 952 & learn for yourself.

british_rover

Thank you for what proving you wrong?

You ARE WRONG.

Not taxable income for customer of course it is taxable for dealers they are taking the rebates instead of the cars themselves so yes it is income.

tallman1

Kind of a big difference between the car buyer not being taxed and the dealer being taxed.

The OP was a consumer clearly talking about his tax as a buyer in Kentucky.

stickguy

One big issue seems to be getting overlooked: how can you tell what benefit you got? SInce the car had some inherent trade in calue anyway. So if I could have gotten 2K for my bomber, but the CfC upped it to 4K, why should I get taxed on the 4K as if it was income?

british_rover

You wouldn't pay any tax on income from the CARS rebate because you are not a licensed new car dealer.

Seriously can we let this deliberate misinformation and rumor die.



Is the credit subject to being taxed as income to the consumers that participate in the program?

NO. The CARS Act expressly provides that the credit is not income for the consumer.

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pjsage

Hi,

Real basic question. I live in New York City, NY. I'm looking to buy a car, either new or used.

On new cars I get that you pay sales tax on the full purchase price, and that you'll pay state tax in whatever state the car is purchased, plus NY tax on either the difference or full amount depending on whether there is a reciprocity agreement.

What happens with used cars?

In the UK where I'm originally from there's no sales tax on used cars as tax was paid when it was new. Does the same happen in the US (NY specifically) or is that too much to hope for?

euphonium

Here we don't tax the car, we tax the transaction. Every time there is a transaction, money exchanges & that money of the transaction is taxed.

tc_00

Does anyone know if AZ has a set fee for luxury tax, or if the luxury tax is a % of the price you pay for the vehicle?

bladelock999

I purchased a 2010 from a car dealership. A week later, I received a car from the dealership stating that they didn't charge me the right tax amount (8.75 instead of 8.875) and that they forgot to charge me a title fee. So, they are sending me a a bill for $180.00. What are my options?

joel0622

Has your car been titled and liscensed yet? If not they just don't register it until you pay the correct amount.

It really comes down to who wants to do whats right. The right thing for you to do is pay the taxes/fees you owe. Its not a profit for them its the taxes, and I don't know of a person in the world who has never made a mistake.

The right thing for the dealer to do is eat the $180 and make you happy.

I made more then my share of mistakes in the FInance Office. Some times the customer did the right thing and some times we did. It depended allot on how the customer acted when they were at the dealership to start with and how much profit we made.

qbrozen

Your options are:
1. return the car and unwind the deal.
2. pay the bill.

If you choose option 1, the dealer may eat the $180.

If you are looking for personal opinions, here is mine: it all depends. If the tax was indeed calculated wrong, I would pay the extra owed. They are taxes, after all. As to the fee, well, what other fees were charged? For example, some dealers charge a ridiculous "doc fee." If this dealership charged me, for example, $299 doc fee, then I would probably suggest they take the title fee out of that.

euphonium

The dealer is "fishing". Are you going to bite? Ask for evidence of where they returned money to the buyer because they overcharged the customer.

jfitz2

Taxes are taxes. If I were you I would verify the correct rate of tax and if you owe the extra then pay it. The title fee also seems appropriate. You are risking potential problems with getting the vehicle registered. The tax office does not care who is short - they just want their money and will get it before you can get the vehicle registered. There are also potential problems of penalties should you not get the vehicle registered within the required period (30 days in Texas).

british_rover

We return overcharges of taxes and fees to customers all the time. The deal can't be closed out till all taxes and fees line up with the state.

A customer of mine just called to ask why they got a check for 43 dollars for us.

We overcharged for the plate transfer fee for her state. Happens all the time.

joel0622

Same here. Tn will Katie Bar the door of this place if the taxes don't jive

leftfooter

I'm thinking of buying a car in Florida, from a private seller, and driving it back to Texas, where I live. What do I need to consider as far as paying Taxes & transferring registrations go. I would obviously like to keep all payments to an absolute minimum. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

joel0622

Before you go contact your County Clerk in TX and ask them to give you a list of taxes and fees paid on an automobile purchase. Also get there address and who to make the check out to. Find out if it can be one check or do you write one for taxes and one for tags. Also get a name and a contact number. Take all that info with you to the dealer in FL. It will cut your time at the dealer down by an hour or so. Also if it is on a Saturday or Sunday it will make it much easier.

When the transaction is done they will forward the title work and tax/tag money to your clerk and they will contact you when the paper work comes in. Give the dealer a good contact number for you to give your county clerk.

One more thing, I also suggest that while you are at the county clerk ask them for a couple TX title applications and any other paper work the dealer may need that is state specific. This will save you the calls after you get home telling you that you need this and that.

Hope that helps!!

joel0622

One more thing, (who said this biz is simple lol) Everything I said applies if you are financing. If you are paying cash no lien ask the dealer before you go if they will allow you to sign an out of state tax affidavit. ( varies by state) if they do then all you will do is write a check for the car and then when your check clears there account they will send you the title work and MSO and then you just go to your clerk and settle up.

hate_car_shopg

We were told by phone we would need to pay Indiana sales tax of 7%. Okay, fine. BUT not fine if I need to pay the 8% to Illinois when we register the car, too. That's two sales taxes for one car.

I am confused. When we bring the car to Illinois we have 30 days to pay the full 8% or do we pay the difference of 1%, and then the cost for registration and the plates? :confuse:

tidester

I believe that you only pay the difference but I'll defer to anyone who has direct experience in Illinois.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

kyfdx

I live near the Indiana state line (not in Illinois), and if we buy cars in Indiana, we don't pay sales tax in Indiana.. Since we live out-of-state, we are exempt, and only pay sales tax in our home state, when we register...

Try calling a couple of random Indiana dealers... tell them you live in Illinois, and see what they say (finance or title clerks, not salespeople).

regards,
kyfdx
visiting host