Non resident vehicle registrations

[diz]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

It not that NH necessarily want to enforce this new rule....However they are protecting themselves from neighboring states. I have registered my boat trailers in NH for many years. The first year I did it, as a non-resident I had to sign a waiver indicating that I would not take the trailer out of state. As I talked to the town clerk where I did this. It became very clear, that the issue was if I pulled the trailer into the state where I resided, and was pulled over, that quite often the state investigates why I have my trailer registered in NH and not that state. As part of the investigation the clerk told me, that they are often called by neighboring states, and question as to why they allowed this to happen. And then when the resident state decided to press some charges over taxes not payed on the trailer, then guess what the town clerk in NH is called again.... NH non sales / use tax situation for season home owners, has caused itself some grief... they are trying to put laws in place so that when people get in trouble in their home states, they can't get pulled into the mess.

If NH had a sales tax similar in rate to its neighboring states, this wouldn't even be an issue.... now please note that I am advocating NH start a new tax, just stating the reality of the situation.....

As a non-resident with a car that spends most, though not 350 days, a year in NH I'm not sure how NH is protecting itself. It's on roads plowed and maintained by NH but all of the registration, excise tax, insurance costs, etc. go to Massachusetts. It seems to me that the car should be registered where it spends the most time, not where its owner spends the most time. In my case anyway, I think NH deserves the money I spend keeping that car on the road.

[crowsnest]

If you have your boat in NH waters over a certain amount of time you need to reg the boat in NH.

so why cant you do the same with an auto.

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by diz

It's on roads plowed and maintained by NH but all of the registration, excise tax, insurance costs, etc. go to Massachusetts. It seems to me that the car should be registered where it spends the most time, not where its owner spends the most time. In my case anyway, I think NH deserves the money I spend keeping that car on the road.

I can't say that I disagree with you... However where NH was getting caught in the middle, of legal issues, is that most states dictate that if you have a vehicle in the state for more then 30 consecutive days and have declared a residence in the state, that you must register the vehicle in that state. For Ma. a state with 6% sales tax, and towns that generate money from Excise tax, that generates a great deal of revenue. Now if a neighboring state such as NH allows Ma. residents to register a car to there vacation home, and drive it back into Ma., thus robbing the state of Ma. of Revenue. The state of Mass. not only goes after the person, but also goes after the state and town that allowed the issue to happen. The problem is not the vehicles that come go to another state for a few days, but rather the ones that come into the state for months at a time.

Bottom line is people abused a system, now the system (state of NH), is having to punish not only the people, that used the system as intended. People who register cars, and other vehicles in the state that are intended to be used in the state 80-90% of the time. But more importantly give them selves a defense, when the idiots who have vehicles registered in NH that spend 80-90 % of the time in other states, get in trouble.