Restore T.R.U.S.T.

Law raises penalty to $1 a day for drivers who register their vehicles after due date

NewsOK

BY JULIE BISBEE

Published: December 31, 2009

A law that increases the penalties for late renewal of state license plate tags is helping to boost state coffers.

Since the law took effect July 1, the state Tax Commission has collected $9.5 million in late registration penalties and late excise taxes. Under the previous rules, commission officials estimate they would have collected about one-fourth of that amount in an entire year.

The law, passed by the Legislature earlier this year, increased the late fee for tags to $1 a day from 25 cents a day. The new law also increased the penalty cap to $100 from $25.

The amount collected in the past six months is the highest it’s been in recent memory, said Michelle Thompson, spokeswoman for the Tax Commission. Since many people aren’t aware of the law, many are paying the maximum penalty in addition to the cost of their vehicle tags... FULL ARTICLE