There are lots of mysteries in the State of Maine, but none quite so baffling as the amount a car owner has to pay when they register their automobile each year. The actual process isn’t magic, but it does involve a couple of calculations and a table of tax rates that seem to leave car owners surprised when they arrive at their municipal clerk’s desk, checkbook in hand.
To make this process a little less mysterious, we have developed an online excise tax calculator that car owners can use to estimate what they’ll need for funds to register their vehicle. To use it, the car owner enters the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of their vehicle, the year of their vehicle and the type of license plate they have. The calculator then provides an estimate of what their registration will cost.
The calculator is currently in use in a number of municipalities in Maine, including the cities of Bangor and Saco.