Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Excise Tax Law

With few exceptions, every motor vehicle or trailer registered in Massachusetts is subject to an excise tax. The commonwealth issues registrations for either one or two years, and residents are taxed on the registration. Taxable vehicles include passenger cars, trucks and vans as well as tractors and other motorized farm or construction vehicles.

Whether a registered vehicle is exempt from the excise tax depends on who owns it. All government-owned vehicles are exempt, as well as those owned by churches or other nonprofit organizations that already maintain tax exempt status. The commonwealth also exempts vehicles that carry special license plates available to farmers and auto manufacturers or dealers.

Former prisoners of war or their surviving spouses do not pay the Massachusetts excise tax for registered vehicles they own. Vehicles owned by handicapped individuals also are exempt in certain circumstances, depending on the extent of the owner's handicap.

The amount of excise tax an owner owes for a specific vehicle is first calculated by determining the excise value of the vehicle. The excise value is a percentage of the manufacturer's suggested retail price for the vehicle. For example, if a car was bought and registered in the same year it was manufactured, the excise value would be 90 percent of its suggested retail price. The percentage decreases each year after manufacture according to a statutory formula.

Once the excise value is determined, multiplying that amount by the tax rate determines how much tax the owner owes that year. The excise tax rate in Massachusetts at the time of publication was $25 per $1,000 of value.

A calculated excise amount is prorated for the first year if the owner registered the car in the middle of the year. Massachusetts law sets a minimum assessment at $5, even if calculations produce a lesser amount.

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles prepares bills and distributes them to cities and towns throughout the state for collection. The tax must be paid by the registered owner within 30 days of the bill's issue.

If a day elapses after the bill's due date and the tax remains unpaid, a local tax collector makes a demand for the tax. If the owner fails to pay the tax after 14 days, a warrant is issued for collection. After 30 days, a deputy presents the warrant to the owner in person.

Unpaid excise taxes accrue interest at a 12 percent annual rate beginning on the due date. After the bill is 14 days late, the RMV can place both the vehicle registration and the owner's driver's license in non-renewal status, meaning neither can be renewed until the excise tax bill is paid.

Massachusetts also assesses fees for the stages of the collection process for delinquent bills. The initial demand fee is $5 as of publication. Issue of a warrant is $12, notice of the warrant is another $12, and final in-hand service of the warrant is $17.