License plate renewal, someone break this down for me please

[andreame70]

OK, I am completely confused about something and thought maybe you guys might be able to help me figure this out.

Back in Oct. 2007 I bought a 2008 Dodge Caliber. My old car (2003 Kia) was traded in and they transferred the old license plate to the new car. The plate has to be renewed (with a new sticker) in August. I decided to go to the DMV website this morning and do the renewal electronically. They can send me the sticker I need instead of me having to stand for hours in line at the DMV office.

In the process of renewing it online, I get this screen that says they "cannot continue because of a DMV block for non payment of county vehicle taxes."
At this point I am really confused because I know the taxes are paid. I went to our county tax website and double checked to make sure there was no mistake. Since we only have one vehicle, I found it and it shows that the 2007 taxes were paid in Dec. The 2008 tax bills don't go out until sometime in Nov. The site still has it listed as our old car (a 2003 Kia) it has not yet been changed to reflect that the plate is now on a 2008 Dodge.

Anyone have any clue? I should not owe vehicle taxes on the new car yet since the tax bills do not go out until Nov. But aren't the taxes, tags and such collected on a new car when it is purchased anyway? I guess I will probably end up in that dreaded line tomorrow or on the phone for a few hours trying to get this straightened out. Ughhhh.

[vicky122]

I wouldthink it would be in the price when you got the new car. Maybe start with the dealership. I know someone that traded his car in and some how he was getting tickets or something on the car and it was such a mess. The crap he had to do. His fines was over 1,000 and he had to to court get copies of stuff send it into Springfield go back to court. Before it was over with.

[jedmatters]

Sound slike someone dropped the ball on changing the title. This most likely happened where you traded the car. Take all forms showing you traded the car, and any forms that show the new vehicle has legal right to the plates.
If it costs extra, I would take the reciept to the car dealer and demand he re-pay me for doing what his company was supposed to do.

[Willow]

In our state if you get a new car you have to turn in the old plates and get new ones. If you don't it's called attaching plates and it's illegal to do that here. Also any excise taxes that have to be paid are paid at the city hall and not where the car is purchased. I hope you get it resolved.

[PrincessArky]

could it be possible someone forgot to take the old car off your taxes and in their system the old car is the one hooked onto the plate?

[Hockeymama]

Sounds like the dealer is at fault here...I just bought a new Dodge in October and right on the bill of sale it list Taxes,tags and tag transfer fees...that were paid at the time the new car was purchased...
Look on your bill of sale and see if all that is listed...if it is then I would go to the car dealer first and ask why the DMV is stating that it wasn't paid...then you are going to have to go to the DMV and clear up the matter.
It sounds like somebody at the Dealership screwed up!
Good Luck

[Quaker_Parrots]

I would also check the dealer's rating on the BBB site to see if this a common occurance with this business. If it is, I would copy the report and take it with me.

[irishluck]

The taxes you paid were for the old car. You should have received a tax bill for the new car about 6 - 8 weeks after the purchase. Call the tax office before you waste time at DMV.

[vicky122]

The taxes you paid were for the old car. You should have received a tax bill for the new car about 6 - 8 weeks after the purchase. Call the tax office before you waste time at DMV.

Here in Il. you pay for all of this when you buy a car. You don't get a bill for it.

[irishluck]

Maybe and hopefully it has changed. That was the information I got when I argued the same issue a few years back.

[andreame70]

I was just looking at the bill of sale and I also have the registration card for the Dodge that says "receipt of fees paid." Listed under that it says:

My name
HIGHWAY USE TAX $457.41
MCO CERT OF TTL FEE $40.00
TRANSFER PLATE FEE $15.00

Total $512.41 EFT

With this, I have proof that the new car taxes were paid and I also have a receipt from the 2007 taxes being paid on the 03 Kia. Since I did not own the Kia at any time in 2008, I should not have any taxes to pay on it, right?

[vicky122]

Wouldn't of had paid the taxes on the 03 Kia. when you got it. Are they charging you for 2008? I think you are going to have foot work to do. Going to dealership and dvm

[andreame70]

Wouldn't of had paid the taxes on the 03 Kia. when you got it. Are they charging you for 2008? I think you are going to have foot work to do. Going to dealership and dvm

I am not sure what the heck they are trying to do. All I know is that there is some sort of block preventing me from being able to renew my registration and get the sticker for the 2008 Dodge, according to the DMV's website this morning. They didn't specify whether it is a problem with the taxes on the Kia or the taxes on the Dodge. I have receipts showing that both are paid.

I traded in the Kia when I got the Dodge back in Oct 2007, so I shouldn't owe anything at all for the Kia in 2008. Don't you have to be the owner on Jan 1st to be charged anything for that current year? Our county doesn't bill for 2008's taxes until November 2008, so no bills have even been sent out yet for this year. I swear these people are going to drive me nuts. I am not looking forward to having to deal with all of them tomorrow.

[may1792]

Here in NC, besides the vehicle registration fees you pay, there is also a property tax you have to pay every year on your vehicle. It is possible that this is what they are talking about that was not paid.

http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/vehicle_services/registrationtitling/taxproperty.html

Hope this site can help.

[vicky122]

Here in NC, besides the vehicle registration fees you pay, there is also a property tax you have to pay every year on your vehicle. It is possible that this is what they are talking about that was not paid.

http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/vehicle_services/registrationtitling/taxproperty.html

Hope this site can help.

Wow that is just crazy you gys have to pay that every year?

[155oaks]

don't know what happened buy I wanted to added just yesterday I brought home my new 2008 DOdge Caliber black in color, I love it

[msmom79]

Here in NC, besides the vehicle registration fees you pay, there is also a property tax you have to pay every year on your vehicle. It is possible that this is what they are talking about that was not paid.

http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/vehicle_services/registrationtitling/taxproperty.html

Hope this site can help.

yep it is that way to here in mo,every year i have to pay personal property taxes on my truck-when i got it in 2003,the sales tax on it was 1000-when i put the first tags on it.and then 3 months later they taxed me for it through my personal taxes-we are taxed every year here for any vechicle we own,besides the house/property tax,school tax,ambulance tax,road tax-my truck is a separate tax every year.

[Willow]

The tax that I was talking about is also a tax that is paid every year but it's not done at the time of the purchase. It's a total different tax than what you get charged when you purchase a car.

[Hockeymama]

I am not sure what the heck they are trying to do. All I know is that there is some sort of block preventing me from being able to renew my registration and get the sticker for the 2008 Dodge, according to the DMV's website this morning. They didn't specify whether it is a problem with the taxes on the Kia or the taxes on the Dodge. I have receipts showing that both are paid.

I traded in the Kia when I got the Dodge back in Oct 2007, so I shouldn't owe anything at all for the Kia in 2008. Don't you have to be the owner on Jan 1st to be charged anything for that current year? Our county doesn't bill for 2008's taxes until November 2008, so no bills have even been sent out yet for this year. I swear these people are going to drive me nuts. I am not looking forward to having to deal with all of them tomorrow.


you shouldn't be paying yearly taxes on cars (here in Pa. we don't get taxed evey year). The tax you are paying on your invoice is the sales tax of the price of the new car. Your Kia taxes were paid when you bought the Kia.
It really doe's sound like a dealership screw up

[SLance68]

you shouldn't be paying yearly taxes on cars (here in Pa. we don't get taxed evey year). The tax you are paying on your invoice is the sales tax of the price of the new car. Your Kia taxes were paid when you bought the Kia.
It really doe's sound like a dealership screw up

I think the rules are different in NC. They are personal property taxes that are assessed on the vehicle - in addition to the sales tax paid at the time of purchase. The personal property taxes are paid at another time than at the time of purchase.

[andreame70]

Well, it was not nearly as bad as I thought. I decided to call the tax office first. The woman looked at my account and before I could even go in to detail of how I tried to renew online and was blocked, she said, "humm, you have a block listed on the 03 Kia, but your taxes show paid, so that should not be there!" I asked her if it had anything to do with the fact that I traded in the Kia and transferred the tag to a new car that I bought and she said no. She told me that when I renewed the plate, the state would already have the info on the new car and it would automatically change the info in the system to reflect that it is on the new vehicle. She also said the tax notice for the new car would come out in Nov, like I knew the others did, so I am set. She manually removed the block and I just now went to the DMV website and renewed the tag with no problem. It attached on it's own the new info about the Dodge. Nothing is ever this easy, I am kind of in shock that it went this smoothly.

[BeanieLuvR]

I am glad that you got it straightened out. :)