From Jason in Portland: Motor Vehicle Excise Tax

I got an interesting email from a viewer in Portland the other day. One more reason to not buy a new vehicle!

I guess you are already familiar with Motor Vehicle excise taxes, and how Augusta and the town pisses the money away! I purchased a new Truck for $26,000.00, and the sticker price was $37,000.00. Of course, the Peoples Republic of Portland city hall demanded the window sticker from the vehicle so they could charge excise tax on the full sticker price, and NOT what was paid for the vehicle. Then, to boot, at the Motor Vehicle office, they had the nerve to charge sales tax on the Factory Rebate of $5,000.00, and a $500.00 Presidents Day bonus rebate. So, all in all, they charged me sales tax on $5,500.00 which I did not spend!

I went online to get the addresses for our elected officials, and it's amazing how many offices each of them have! Presque Isle/Houlton, Bangor/Brewer, Lewiston/Auburn, Biddeford/Sanford, and of course they all have offices here in Portland with addresses such as One City Center, Canal Plaza! I wonder who's paying the rent, utilities, telephone/internet, cleaning, staffing, of all these offices, not to forget about their offices in Washington DC!

I immediately wrote letters to Susan Collins, Olympia Snow, Tom Allen, and Baldacci. Our fine elected official in our Congress and Senate responded by apologizing, and stated that they only deal with Federal Issues, and not State level issues. Our Governor's office responded with a statement that the Excise tax has been around since the 1920's, etc, and that I should express my concerns with my local district representative here in Portland. Talk about passing the buck! Not one of them had any interest in speaking to me about this issue, other than a response with a form letter from one of their assistants.
It's a complete WASTE!

I'm outraged at the system of not only our government, but the lack of commitment our elected officials take, as well as the waste of our already overburdened taxation. It's no wonder people in this state drive jukers for vehicles, while Snow, Baldacci, Collins, and Allen drive around in brand new SUV's, and Jet Set. Is there something wrong with this picture??

Jason
(The Peoples Republic of Portland)

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