NC is getting more and more regressive in terms of taxation, especially on vehicles. In addition to a yearly county property tax on vehicles, (which must be paid at renewal) plus a hefty yearly registration fee, yearly inspection plus emission testing, you have to pay both title transfer fees as well as a “sales tax” whenever vehicles are bought/sold - even used cars. Add to that the state income tax, local sales taxes plus additions for “affordable housing” and property taxes that rise every year, NC is making it very difficult for taxpayers, especially those who are retired. Taxes account for about a third of my total expenditures - GRRRRRR!

When my son bought his new Fit, he paid $60 to transfer registration from the old car to the new one, and that was for just three months. Now the new registration is due, and that's costing $42 for two years, and they add a $10 "Usage Fee" onto that, for a total of $52. What's a "Usage Fee"? Is that a fee for using the license plates? And how is that different from the "Registration Fee"? I wonder what it would have cost to get a new registration with the new car. As it is, it's costing him $112 for two years. All the money we give to the state is a tax, so they should call it a tax.

It's the same with telephone bills, electric bills, cable bills, and many others. There are so many fees and taxes added that the amount they advertise is deceptive. When you buy a ticket for just about anything these days, there is a fee added to it. When I was working, I should have collected a "Showing Up" fee from my employer.


On the plus side, NY doesn't add property tax to the cost of registration. When I registered my motorcycle in NH, it cost about $150 for one year.