Arizona license plates - calculating the cost

[Pat]

Does anybody know how to calculate the cost of AZ plates for the motorhome and/or toad?  I think they're extremely expensive.  This would be for a first time registration.  I tried the AZ DMV website, but it assumes renewed plates.  Is there an annual personal property tax on motorhomes in AZ?

Thanks.

--pat

 

[BernieD]

Does anybody know how to calculate the cost of AZ plates for the motorhome and/or toad?  I think they're extremely expensive.  This would be for a first time registration.  I tried the AZ DMV website, but it assumes renewed plates.  Is there an annual personal property tax on motorhomes in AZ?

The AZ license registration is mostly made up of a personal property tax component. It starts with the sticker base price (before options) of the vehicle when new. This figure is reduced 16.25% annually. The current year's "value" is multiplied by 60% and then by a 2.8% tax rate, slightly higher for a used vehicle registered for the first time. Being a personal property tax type of tax, the tax can be deducted on your income tax return. The registration for a new motorhome with a base sticker of $100,000 would therefore be $60,000 x 2.8% or $1,680 the first year plus the other components of the registration; license plate fee, emissions testing (testing itself is usually waived but you pay the fee anyways ), mailing, etc. This vehicle when 2 years old would have a tax based on $42,084 value ($60,000 - 16.25% -16.25%) or $1,178. The calculation for a car works the same way.

 

[Pat]

Bernie:  Thanks, and Ow.  I read and re-read the instructions from a website someplace.  What website seemed to say was that the first year of registration the vehicle had to be assessed at original (new) sticker price, and that depreciation was done on an annual bases thereafter.  Thus, if somebody wanted to register a 4-year-old vehicle, the first year they would pay the tax based on the original sticker price, not the sticker price minus 4 years of depreciation.  KnowwhatImean? 

Do you understand it to be that way?  A most extreme example would be somebody who paid, say, $15,000 for a10-year-old vehicle that cost $100,000 originally.  They'd have to start way at the top and pay the tax based on $100,000, rather than their purchase price or any bluebook value. 

I'm sticking with my home state.  $117 for the RV and $75 for the toad.

--pat

 

[BernieD]

Pat

Do you understand it to be that way?  A most extreme example would be somebody who paid, say, $15,000 for a10-year-old vehicle that cost $100,000 originally.  They'd have to start way at the top and pay the tax based on $100,000, rather than their purchase price or any bluebook value.

No, you register the vehicle based on the percentage for the model year. The first year is based on base sticker price, not cost and each year's deduction is taken from that to the current year. In your example, if the base sticker was $100,000, the 10 year old "value" would be $15,990 after deducting 16.25% 10 times. The fee would be about $277.

The website was referring to registering a new vehicle. Arizona is not a cheap state to register a vehicle tho insurance can be lower than many states with lower registration fees ;D.

 

[Pat]

Bernie:  My motorhome is a 2001.  Sticker was $117m and change.  I figure in the year 2020 I will be indifferent between my present state and AZ. 

--pat

 

[BernieD]

Bernie:  My motorhome is a 2001.  Sticker was $117m and change.  I figure in the year 2020 I will be indifferent between my present state and AZ. 

Pat

Don't forget, it isn't the bottom figure on the sticker, but the base price before any options that is used for the calculation.

 

[Pat]

Bernie:  I need to see if I have that breakdown.  It's still going to be a decade before it might make sense to license anything here.  I don't live here anyway.  I just thought it would be handy to have that mail come to the same place most of my stuff goes.  My driver's license expires this summer.  I sure hope I can do the mail-in renewal.  I'm not in the mood to drive back to IL in the July heat.  I may take a look at cost of plates and so forth in Oregon when I get there. 

--pat