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Excise Tax Confused and Frustrated by Excise
Taxes? Excise Taxes are a fee levied by the STATE for the privilege of using roads
and other avenues of transportation (such as waterways). They are issued in batches by the Registry
of Motor Vehicles, who then sends them to the Town in which
your vehicle was garaged on January 1st or on the date you registered
it if after January 1st . Payment
is due within 30 days of the “issue”
date on YOUR bill. The fee covers the full year or whatever portion
of the year that particular vehicle is registered.
Generally, you cannot receive an abatement
of an excise tax bill unless the vehicle has been sold, traded, totaled,
or junked AND the plate has been
transferred to another vehicle or returned to the Registry. So what’s the problem? Getting billed for a vehicle you no longer
have? No longer living in the town that’s sent you a bill? Taken the car off the road? YOU MUST STILL PAY YOUR BILL! If you do not pay your bill on time, you are subject to fines, interest
and ultimately a hold on your license and/or registration. Here’s what you need
to do to recover money you no longer should owe: IF YOU NO LONGER HAVE THE VEHICLE
If you have sold,
traded, junked, or given away your vehicle or had it repossessed or
taken by an insurance company following an accident, you must
provide the Town which sent you an excise bill with:
1.
proof that you no longer own the vehicle. This may be a bill
of sale or gift (hand-written, dated and signed, is fine) or copy
of bill of sale showing the car as a trade, or an insurance company
settlement report showing vehicle identification number and date. All documents must show the date
of transfer and an adequate identification
of the car (year, make, model and VIN if possible).
2.
proof of license
plate return or transfer
(in the form of a copy of the returned plate receipt or a copy of
a new registration using the old plate).
IF YOU’VE MOVED…
WITHIN MASSACHUSETTS Your excise tax amount will remain the same no matter where
you live in Massachusetts. Hence,
no abatement is necessary unless you receive a DUPLICATE bill from
two towns. The town in which your vehicle was “garaged”
(see your Insurance Company) on January 1st or on the day
you registered it if after January 1st is the town to which
you owe your tax.
If you moved prior to January 1st and received a bill from the town you left, you
may request an abatement from the town from which you moved by providing
proof of residency elsewhere (such as a signed and dated lease; registration
of the same vehicle with vehicle
identification number and date listed in another town). The town issuing
an abatement will notify your new town to re-bill you.* By law, you must notify
your insurance company and the Registry of Motor Vehicles within 30
days of a move! You will reduce the likelihood of receiving
bills from the wrong town if you give proper notification of your
move.
(* Should you move mid-year and wish
an abatement for that year, be aware that you will be expected to
pay each town for ALL of any month if you lived any part of that month
in that town. Hence, you may be billed by two towns for the month in which you moved.)
OUTSIDE MASSACHUSETTS
Send us a copy of your
new registration in the new state for the vehicle in question (showing
vehicle identification number and description). Don’t forget to return your
Massachusetts plate! Send
us a copy of your plate return receipt.
We hope this information
has been helpful. If you still
have questions regarding your excise taxes, please call the Shutesbury Assessor regarding abatements
and the Tax Collector regarding
fines or interest levied on late tax payments. Shutesbury Assessors Hours: M 9-2PM, T 7 PM- 9 PM , W 10-4PM, TH 10-4PM, F by appt. 413-259-3790Shutesbury Tax Collectors Hours: Tue 7-9PM, Fri. 2-5 PM tel. 413-259-1615 |