Registration Fees

[Ricebug]

I contacted Wash State DMV and asked them how much would it cost to register a new motor home bought in Idaho. They replied: 10% of the purchase price. They would, however, deduct whatever I paid Idaho. This is insane!

We're planning on buying our RV next March, and want to move to Washington, where I grew up. It's RV friendly and we love rain.

Anyone have any suggestions?

I'm 64, retired Air Force, if it matters.

[Bigdog]

By the way, the gas tax DID NOT go up .40 a gallon.
If I remember correctly,the railroad fee has been on there since before the light rail came along.

[Tom_Barb]

J-Rooster wrote:
Terry, I became a Partner in Seattle's Light rail (not by choice and I don't live in Seattle) the WA. State Legislature passed a back room deal to charge motorhomes $75.00 on there license tab renewal fees to fund light rail in Seattle. This fee is not charged to travel trailers or 5th wheels! My tabs were $30.00 for a short time until these back room deals took over. The other back room deal was another $30.00 Highway weight fee. I can't remember the total renewal fee it was between $150.00 and $175.00 per year for me. The WA. State Legislature can't stay within the reins of financial responsibilities so they have raised all license fees, you must change your license plates every 7 years regardless of condition, and the WA. State Patrol was told to write as many citations as possible to help out with the money short fall.

Got a reference for that..Your real fees

[Billinwoodland]

In CA, if you keep your vehicle out of the state for a specific amount of time you would beat the sales tax when you bring it into CA officially. It used to be 6 months, now I believe it is 12 months. You might explore whether WA has a similar program. At certain airports in OR,it has created an entire industry where pilots would store their planes in OR for the designated time before bringing it into CA. For an expensive purchase, you can save a bundle, and it's legal.

[J-Rooster]

Terry, I became a Partner in Seattle's Light rail (not by choice and I don't live in Seattle) the WA. State Legislature passed a back room deal to charge motorhomes $75.00 on there license tab renewal fees to fund light rail in Seattle. This fee is not charged to travel trailers or 5th wheels! My tabs were $30.00 for a short time until these back room deals took over. The other back room deal was another $30.00 Highway weight fee. I can't remember the total renewal fee it was between $150.00 and $175.00 per year for me. The WA. State Legislature can't stay within the reins of financial responsibilities so they have raised all license fees, you must change your license plates every 7 years regardless of condition, and the WA. State Patrol was told to write as many citations as possible to help out with the money short fall.

[MitchF150]

Marine By Choice wrote:
"At least we don't have to pay yearly registration fees based on the vehicles "value" anymore. RV's would cost a grand or more to register and cars would be in the several hundred dollar range back then.."

Give the legislature time . . . . . They will figure out a way to increase it again! Remember the $30 tabs Tim Eyman's initiative was supposed to bring? The legislature has increased that more than double!!!

Actually, I think the $30 tab is still there... They just add a ton of other "fees" to it that brings the total bill up a bunch..

Here is my break down of the fees I paid for my 13 F150.

Filing: $3.00
RTA: $97.00
Service Fee: $5.00
GWT/Veh WT: $58.00
Other: $65.00

I'm actually registered with a #8000 GVW because I have a #7700 GVWR truck.. I also have Custom plates, so that adds $30.00 in there someplace..

My wifes Rav4 had this.

Filing: $3.00
RTA: $6.00
Service Fee: $5.00
GWT/Veh WT: $10.00
Other: $35.75

My TT and my little 8' utility trailer are about the same as the Rav4..

They'll add more "fees" along the way, for sure!

Mitch

[Tom_Barb]

Washington state sales tax isn't always 10%.
Washington IRS will except the actual selling price when registering the vehicle.
We bought our Newmar in state, we paid the sales tax once and this year we paid $116.45.
that stays the same.

When you buy out of state, then bring the motorhome into Wa. you will pay the difference between what you paid out of state when you bought it, and what Wa sales tax would be.
If the out of state tax was more than Washington tax, you won't get a refund, but you won't pay more tax here. (done that too.)

[winnietrey]

Yep reread it, I was wrong, no 90 day exception, for RV's. Pretty much cars and light trucks only

[jorbill2or]

That's not what I was told ..I'm a Lifetime Oregonian ...with a 12 year old motorhome that I had bought 2 years before.. They wanted the 10% on the current value .. Their current value chart which was high . No Sunset on paying the tax .. I had a new car at the time so maybe autos are not taxed after s period .. But not motorhomes for sure . If you move there and haven't paid that amount you owe the difference .. I called on moving to two different county's ( Spokane area ) same answer , slightly different tax rate. I wish I could move but my income isn't that high ..especially with my deductions At least for now so Oregon income tax isn't killer.... Yet. And I may still trade for a newer motorhome and car etc and wash sales tax is killer if I were to do that. lb of flesh no matter where you go on the west coast !

[winnietrey]

Rice bug, If I read the law correctly, what it says is this. If you buy out of state( in your case Idaho) you would pay Idaho sales tax on the rig. Which Google says can vary from 6 to 9%. Washington state sale tax is 10% so you would have to pay Washington the difference.

However if one reads further, and this is the important part. As I read it, if you buy in another state, and use it for more than 90 days, in that state, then you will owe NO additional tax in Washington, when you register it. The additional tax would only seem to apply if you buy out of state and move to Washington in less than 90 days.

So buy it more than 90 days before you move is my thought. Or, did I not read far enough and RV's are treated differently?

[Ricebug]

I'm seeing that states and counties are starting to wake up to the fact that full-time RV living = No Real Estate taxes. Registration fees will perhaps be more punitive as a result. Folks are trying to escape a burning building and they're being punished for it.

[SoCalDesertRid1]

I bought a truck in WA. Sales tax was 10 percent there. So I had the truck officially delivered to AZ and paid 8 percent sales tax here, instead of paying more in WA.

[Kayteg1]

Well... when I complain about CA "revenue seekers" - the Washington state and Oregon beat them by a mile.
At least it has to be Police cruiser in CA to set radar trap.
I recall Prius with radar up north.

[Marine_By_Choic]

"At least we don't have to pay yearly registration fees based on the vehicles "value" anymore. RV's would cost a grand or more to register and cars would be in the several hundred dollar range back then.."

Give the legislature time . . . . . They will figure out a way to increase it again! Remember the $30 tabs Tim Eyman's initiative was supposed to bring? The legislature has increased that more than double!!!

[MitchF150]

Well, there you go... I don't recall having to pay all that when I bought my RV in WA state. Except paying the sales tax on it.. But, you can at least claim that sales tax on your Fed Income Taxes!

At least we don't have to pay yearly registration fees based on the vehicles "value" anymore. RV's would cost a grand or more to register and cars would be in the several hundred dollar range back then..

Mitch