Daily rant---DMV fees

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WV1951

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Location
Parkersburg, WV
Took two trips(of course) to get my boat/motor/trailer legal. About fell over when the DMV person gave me a total for the fees. Mind you, this is on a $800 boat/motor/trailer.

Title application boat...........$15.00
Privilege tax.......................$39.00
State road fee....................$10.00
Division of Natural Resources.$10.00
Title application trailer..........$15.00
Privilege tax........................$ 9.00
Litter fee............................$ 2.00
State road..........................$16.00

Total................................$116.00

Gives new meaning to the term license to steal. And WV wonders why people are leaving.
 
I gotta agree with you that is pretty stiff, and I'm not from a "tax friendly" state. I understand the road fee for the trailer, but kind of funny to see a road fee for a boat. I assume the "privilege tax" is some form of luxury tax? I also assume the title app's are one time so won't be repeated. Still, that is a lot for an $800 boat/trailer. I feel your pain. :x
 
I probably should have added that last year this state passed a huge road bond issue and the new fees started kicking in July 2017. Many, if not most people, have no clue what this will cost them. Just license fees alone, increased 71%.
 
Maybe you will at least get some new roads or get some existing ones fixed. California has literally spent a few billions (BILLION) on a bullet train that no one (except consultants) wants and that will likely never exist.
 
I just got my plates for the new boat trailer I purchased last November. I got the boat out of state so I didn't pay sales tax in Michigan where I bought it. In Illinois, where I live, you have to pay the sales tax on out of state purchases or even if you bought the boat from a private party. The plates and title for the trailer alone was $128 plus the sales tax brought the total to $250. Getting the title, paying the sales tax and registering the boat was about $430. So I was hit for $680 to make my new purchase legal.
 
Trailer annual registration fees in Illinois are $18 a year and the boat registration is $18 every 3 years. It’s just the first time fees that are the killer.
 
i have always said, "i dont understand why they say going postal", never had an issue at the post office. the saying should be i am going to go "DMV" on you. for what we have to pay you would think more than 2 windows out of 15 would be open and they would be polite.
 
We pay 8.25% sales tax for purchase of the boat. Boat registration fees are low compared to what I'm reading here and are paid once every two years. Boat trailers get a permanent registration. However, any low fees we enjoy disappear when we get the personal property tax (luxury tax) bill from the county.
 
I paid about as much to register and get plates for an old boat I bought last year with all my ducks in a row. But you would not believe how expensive and time consuming it is to get a title for a trailer if it doesn't have one already. You have to get a temporary bond and then take it to the DMV and wait for the paperwork which I've heard is six months or more. Insurance companies love it.

At least our teachers are not on welfare yet but they'd still like to get their hands on the ding dongs in Raleigh.
 
LDUBS said:
We pay 8.25% sales tax for purchase of the boat. Boat registration fees are low compared to what I'm reading here and are paid once every two years. Boat trailers get a permanent registration. However, any low fees we enjoy disappear when we get the personal property tax (luxury tax) bill from the county.

Welcome to Kalifornia,
 
Scott F said:
Trailer annual registration fees in Illinois are $18 a year and the boat registration is $18 every 3 years. It’s just the first time fees that are the killer.

Mine came out of Wisconsin, and I registered it in Wisconsin.. No trailer license, and they only made me pay sales tax on the "value" of the trailer..

I live in IL, will be using it mostly in KY, and occasionally WI.. Re-registering it in WI was the easiest. (and cheapest) :wink:
 
I have issues with the registration here in VA. I feel that either everyone registers or no one registers.

What I mean by that is this. Any motorized boat must register. Even a yak with a trolling motor. If you paddle, there is no registration. I feel they should as well. This also means that I would have to register a yak and two inflatable catarafts.

The unregistered use the same ramps, facilities, rescue, resource, whatever, but they get by scot-free. VA could sure generate a buncha revenue if the yahoos in Richmond would read my emails and open their eyes.
 
New River Rat said:
The unregistered use the same ramps, facilities, rescue, resource, whatever, but they get by scot-free. VA could sure generate a buncha revenue if the yahoos in Richmond would read my emails and open their eyes.

I'm in agreement with you, but not many are. Don't express this on any fishing forums you may be on! They sure didn't like my comments on there!
 
New River Rat said:
I have issues with the registration here in VA. I feel that either everyone registers or no one registers.

What I mean by that is this. Any motorized boat must register. Even a yak with a trolling motor. If you paddle, there is no registration. I feel they should as well. This also means that I would have to register a yak and two inflatable catarafts.

The unregistered use the same ramps, facilities, rescue, resource, whatever, but they get by scot-free. VA could sure generate a buncha revenue if the yahoos in Richmond would read my emails and open their eyes.

Illinois just got rid of the fees for non-motorized watercraft. For the last several years, you were required to buy a "water usage stamp" for $6 a year for any canoe, kayak or other non-powered watercraft. Apparently, the fees did not generate enough income to pay for the administration costs so as of this June, they are no longer required.
 
jethro said:
I'm in agreement with you, but not many are. Don't express this on any fishing forums you may be on! They sure didn't like my comments on there!

LOL Jethro.

I've spent my life playing devils advocate or being voice of reason, and seen a lot of folks pissed off. Oh well.....there are probably enough yaks/canoes belonging to outfitters on the New River and James River and Shenandoah River to put the state gov in the black every year.
 
Yearly boat registration fees in Va. are fairly reasonable and I agree that all watercraft using the waters, ramps and public resources should be paying the same fees motorized or not.

Those boat registration fees should be helping in maintaining existing and constructing new public ramps, water quality and the enforcement of our boating laws within the state. It would be easy to distribute the funds collected back to the region from where the funds originated as determined by the owners address therefore each person paying the fee would possibly benefit in the waters they frequent close to home.

What is a rip off is the DMV fees for a small trailer. I just went earlier this week and registered a 27 year old jon boat trailer with a maximum 1500 lbs weight limit and with the permanent tags and registration and transferring the title into my name cost me $150.00.

I did not pay but $200.00 for the trailer. To me that is highway robbery and the county I live in will now tax me every year because I own it and charge me another 27.00 or so annually for a "county" sticker which now they do not even give you the stickers for just charge you the fee every year.

Oh and if you fail to pay the taxes and "stickers" for the vehicles and trailers you own yearly then they will suspend your drivers license and prevent you from renewing your vehicle registrations until the past due taxes are paid. If they cancel your license as a result they will then charge you an additional 150.00 or so to reinstate your drivers license.

Such is the results of living in a commonwealth state.
 
California has the same approach to boats without motors. Except sailboats over 8' have to be registered, motor or not. So, if you have a sailboat, best to tell DMV it is 7.5' long and 22' wide and that it moves sideways most of the time.
 
IL used to have a five year $5 registration on canoes and kayaks, until they figured out they were spending WAY more on the paperwork than the registration income. Oddly enough (very UN-Illinoislike) they got rid of the registration on anything that doesn't have a motor.

I think I still have a registration sticker on my kayak.. It'll be an antique some day.. :D
 

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