getting around high cost of license plates

[dennyg]

This is perfectly legal but now Michigan makes it harder for me to do it. I have two five series cars to license each year. Both are about 180 each. I also have a Ford truck which goes for 65 a plate. What I do is transfer the 65 dollar plate to the bmw car and then do it again for the other bimmer. Saves me two hundred plus per year. Now Michigan has a new computer system and I can only do one transaction each day. Now I have to stand in line at Secretary of State five times to plate my cars.....bummer..........but I'm still going to do it money does not grow on trees. Anyway if anyone out there from Michigan has a junker car just plate it twice and transfer the plate to the bmw. How is it in other states? Will the same apply?

[attack eagle]

some states the tag is a flat fee. only the sales tax would vary by book value.

mine is 53 a year I think.

[dennyg]

some states the tag is a flat fee. only the sales tax would vary by book value.

mine is 53 a year I think.
In Michigan and California its based on original cost.....used to be by weight but states always want more so they pass the costs on to us

[Dave M]

$180 / year? Bummer. In Ontario all passenger vehicles cost the same - ~$35/ year. I still manage to forget every year ;)

Dave

[LunatiC]

$180 a year? Here in Victoria, Australia we pay around $560 a year. That's for standard issue plates.

If you want personalised plates, they will range between $300 and $700 one-time fee, then the ~$560 per year. Vicroads (our road traffic authority) charges $700 for euro-style plates with your combination of two letters and three numbers, and has recently released "premium" plates in wanker colours such as gold on silver and stuff like that. Naturally, these plates are of course around the $4000 (one time fee), and naturally, Vicroads has the "right" to withhold plates if they see they can sell them for higher.

How can they do that you say? They will auction off plates with letter/number combos such as "GT-500" or "BMW-540" and these go for around $50,000. And of course the cash goes straight into the coffers of Vicroads. Some guy was on a current affairs program complaining that his combination of "VW" as his personalised plates were withheld by Vicroads, even though no one else had that combination, because they didn't think of the combination before and now that they had discovered it, wanted to auction them off for $10,000.

To all you US forum posters, be thankful that your registration fees are so low, even for personalised. Many of us don't have it as good as you guys. All prices are in AUD.

[PScalfano]

Wow, people actually pay $10,000+AUD for personalized license plates? Personalized plates have never really had that much appeal to me anyway... but for that much money I would not even consider it.

[John B.]

We pay $40 a year for registration but each town also charges a yearly property tax based on a percentage of book value/mill rate.

[repenttokyo]

one transaction a day! that sucks. Here in Quebec my plates cost me 255 dollars a year :( Of course that comes with no fault insurance and the inability to be sued no matter where i go in north america.

[dennyg]

$180 a year? Here in Victoria, Australia we pay around $560 a year. That's for standard issue plates.

If you want personalised plates, they will range between $300 and $700 one-time fee, then the ~$560 per year. Vicroads (our road traffic authority) charges $700 for euro-style plates with your combination of two letters and three numbers, and has recently released "premium" plates in wanker colours such as gold on silver and stuff like that. Naturally, these plates are of course around the $4000 (one time fee), and naturally, Vicroads has the "right" to withhold plates if they see they can sell them for higher.

How can they do that you say? They will auction off plates with letter/number combos such as "GT-500" or "BMW-540" and these go for around $50,000. And of course the cash goes straight into the coffers of Vicroads. Some guy was on a current affairs program complaining that his combination of "VW" as his personalised plates were withheld by Vicroads, even though no one else had that combination, because they didn't think of the combination before and now that they had discovered it, wanted to auction them off for $10,000.

To all you US forum posters, be thankful that your registration fees are so low, even for personalised. Many of us don't have it as good as you guys. All prices are in AUD.
OUCH!!!!!!!!!

[ThoreauHD]

Back home, in Virginia, we buy plates once for about $50.00. Then you pay $30.00 or so annually for a little sticker that goes on the side of it with the year. Maybe it's $15.00. I forget. That's it. You only turn in plates if you sell the car or transfer title.

Under the constitution in the states, if you have the cars Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin, you don't need a license plate or a license. Since a vehicle is your property in Equity and Law, you don't need to register with any outside anybody. You have to buy the car outright and new of course. And that irritates cops sometimes. But it might be easier to give your right to travel away for 50 bucks and a blank stare than to deal with the harassment. I'm such a wimp. Anyhow, that's how it is in Ole Virginia.

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