FMCSA Doubles Taxes
There are two good articles in the Transport Topics print editions about FMCSA more than doubling registration taxes for 2010. Unfortunately, they don’t have an online version, and I’m sure I’d be breaking some law if I reprint it here without permission. So I will sumarize…. if you get a chance, look for the September 7 edition of the Transport Topics.
The Unified Carrier Registration is a required tax which every motor carrier must pay every year. Fees range from $39 if you have one vehicle, to as much as $37,500 for the very big companies like UPS. The money goes to the States, who use it, ostensibly, law enforcement purposes. Really, I have no idea what they use it for, or why it’s levied. I always just assumed it was levied because they can.
This is a relatively new program. There used to be some type of permitting tax called Single State Registration System, but not all States levied that tax. Now, FMCSA runs this UCR, it replaces the SSRS, and all the States have signed up for the free money. Apparently, when the FMCSA counted the money they collected, they are way short of whatever arbitrary number they decided they need to collect. This is largely because many motor carriers are not paying the tax. Therefore, rather than collect the tax from those not paying, they are doubling the taxes on those that are. Your government at work.
It’s ridiculous. Where does it end? When do the endless tax increases stop? They just take, and take, and take. I’m so tired of it…. I can’t even bring myself to post the YouTube video of the great George Harrison singing Tax Man. That’s what I think of it, I’m sure all of you paying the tax think even less of it.
