Well, I finally found my dealership paperwork and got the car registered and titled! Then I had to pay for my Special Fuel Decal. It is a large yellow sticker that must go in the bottom right of your windshield and it must be paid every year. The cost: $75.
The first year it was prorated for the days remaining. The manager had to come over and do the required documents, since it was so rare! (No one at the DMV could believe when I pointed out the fuel type was "E" for electric. However, I should note, that I also had to have the dealership change it - they originally put G for gasoline. I said, I think this should say E. (I was used to checking this box from my diesel days.) The financial officer at the dealership said, "You know, I never noticed that before. You are the first person to point this out to me. Huh." So I can see why maybe the DMV had never seen it before either . . . )
Is this fair? Well, in Missouri, I would normally pay 17 cents a gallon on taxes to Missouri. $75/0.17 = 441.2, so I am paying Missouri the same amount of tax as person who buys just over 441 gallons of gas a year. If you car gets 30 mpg, that would be like someone who drives 13,230 miles per year. This seems a little high to me, but I also never need an emissions inspection (would can cost up to $24. But, alas, this is not a tax.) According to CarInsurance.com, in 2011, the average miles driven per year in Missouri was 11,444. Since Missouri is getting their piece of the pie, what about the feds?
According to EIA, 18.4 cents per gallon is federal excise tax. How are they recouping this lost revenue?
My main complaint is that now I will have to go into the DMV every January! (It is annoying enough to go in once every 2 years to renew my plates. I never get the notice done in time to do it online.) Can I renew my Alternate Fuel Tax sticker online?
I didn't see anything online: http://dor.mo.gov/motorv/decals.php
Does anyone have experience or know? Comment below!
Thanks, Melanie! It was nice taking to you on the EV day.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness, 11,444mi works out to $64.85, which would be an odd amount to charge. I don't think it's too terrible that they're rounding that up to $75. The most annoying thing (from those I've talked to) is the large sticker that is supposed to go in your window. Couldn't it just be a small one that goes on the license plate? And renewal definitely shouldn't require a DMV visit. Hopefully in time they'll at least integrate it with plate renewal.
ReplyDeleteI just went through the Decal experience myself. It took more than an hour at the DMV because the system had the wrong dates. The new $78.50 Decal would expire on 1/1/2016 rather than 1/1/2017. That means that in 2 weeks I had to pay another $78.50. But fortunately they spent time looking into this and they had to override the system and where able to get me the 1/1/2017 expiration sticker. I agree with Melanie, I think they are charging too much, and it should go on the license plate, and there should be a 2 year option. Also, they told me to put it on the bottom left side (where the emissions sticker would go). But Melanie said bottom right. I hope they are not too picky about that. Also it is stuck pretty tightly on the windshield. Will I have to peel it off with a putty knife to put the next one.
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