Never Trust the Government

If they don't get your money from you one way, they'll get it from you another.

Let me tell you a story about taxes in Virginia. Up until this year, we were assessed a $20 fee for a decal that we had to stick on our cars proving we'd payed our county taxes. These are personal property taxes - the bill that taxes me every year for the pleasure of owning a vehicle that I paid sales tax on when I bought it. Yes, that's right, kids. In Virginia you pay sales tax on a car, then pay taxes on it every year you own it. So in spite of the fact that I paid nearly $600 in sales tax on that minivan, had I not sold it, I'd be paying another $162.38 in taxes on it again. As it is, I'll pay a prorated amount for January 1 through April 3, when I sold it.

This year, the requirement to display such a sticker was lifted. But get a load of this, found on the back of my tax bill.

The requirement to display vehicle decals has been eliminated in the County of Roanoke. There is, however, an annual non-prorated, non-refundable Vehicle Licensing Fee (VLF) that must be paid on every motor vehicle, trailer, and semitrailer normally garaged, stored, or parked in the County. A transfer of the fee is allowed for $1.00 when a vehicle is disposed of and replaced by another vehicle within a 60 day period. Application for the transfer of the fee should be made to the Commissioner of the Revenue's Office.

The fee, which I'll be paying instead of the now-discontinued decal fee?

$20.00

And, get this: since it's non-prorated, I'll pay the FULL FEE on the van I sold in April.

Pardon my French, but government generally sucks.





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