I have heard of places that charge a property tax on items such as boats, cars, ATVs, ect.
Not talking about registration fee like license plates for car but a tax on the value of car, ect,

Thinking about moving and trying to get an idea on low tax states.

Yes, if you're looking into taxes while thinking about changing states, you want to look at all possible angles - property, estate, business, etc.

Some states charge tax on insurance premiums, for goodness' sake.

No shortcuts - get a comprehensive look at all financial aspects including cost of living when assessing options.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:
I have heard of places that charge a property tax on items such as boats, cars, ATVs, ect.
Not talking about registration fee like license plates for car but a tax on the value of car, ect,

It’s called personal property tax. Where I own rural land, that state does this.

For your perusal and more details: Virginia does that. That they have a site to go to if you can't pay it is alarming in itself.

NH does NOT have an Income Tax, or a Sales Tax! That said, we DO have a Personal Property Tax which is paid to the town/city on vehicles that require a NH Registration, and a Property Tax on real estate as well. While our Property Taxes are higher than many states, NH still has the third lowest tax burden in the country!

Connecticut taxes vehicles as property in addition to registration fees.

Tennessee doesn't tax vehicles or other property at the state level. Counties do have tax on real estate, and some put a "wheel tax" on vehicles. (There are 95 counties, so there's some variation.) No income tax, but there's sales tax on nearly everything.

Virginia has a personal property tax that varies by county. Henrico County will tax your RV, while Prince William County will NOT tax your RV. So, there is a RV storage option in PW county, that reportedly costs about the same as your RV tax in Henrico county. But, that would then be about half of the cost, if you stored in Henrico and paid the tax also.

Different HOA also have rules on storing RV on private property. Evidently your private property is communally viewed, so RV are verboten in most typical subdivisions.

Land near Richmond VA in surrounding counties has become insanely expensive compared to decades ago. So, living in an RV on private land is also not as affordable as before.

I've been ready to move for years. Anchored for family reasons.

I think personal property tax is more of a southern thing. Then just because a State doesn’t have an income tax, they get $$ in other ways.

I do know, WY & SD are generally lower tax States, AK is too, but the cost of living is high.

If one doesn’t own the high $$ personal property, less of an issue.

States , Counties , etc. have to have dollars to operate .They're going to get you some kind of way.

My post indicating NH had the third lowest tax burden in the country was based on 2025 numbers/rankings. Based on 2026 numbers, NH ranks second in the country!

Here's the top seven ranked by lowest tax burden:




Source --> https://wallethub.com/edu/stat...est-tax-burden/20494

The 'Big Picture' Tax Burden Map:

Main charges an "excise tax" on vehicles in addition to regular registration fees. Based on VIN, drops a bit each year as the vehicle ages.

BITES on a new vehicle!

IIRC I paid "personal property tax" on my tractor and equipment when I was claiming them as a business expense.

WV has "personal property" taxes. It isn't enough you pay taxes on a vehicle once you buy it, and I expect that. But then you pay taxes again EVERY freaking year.

How much you pay in overall taxes will depend on several factors that need to be understood in your particular circumstance.
These questions include-

Will you be employed and have to pay income taxes?

Will you be living in a larger or more expensive home and have to pay higher property taxes?

Do you have a lot of cars/toys?

Not mentioned but what about insurance rates ( looking at you Florida)?

There is no absolute correct answer.This will get you started…

https://taxfoundation.org/statetaxindex/

We have it in AZ. But our real estate property taxes are so low here, I can't complain too much about it. Also, there is no sales tax on private party vehicle sales. I moved here from VA, which also has a PPT on cars. You can bet I waited until those VA registrations expired before I registered the cars and bike in AZ. I wanted every day I paid that tax for and you don't get a prorated refund when moving out of state. In AZ, if you sell or trade a car, they do apply the prorated refund to your new vehicle tax.

quote:

Originally posted by BigJoe:
WV has "personal property" taxes. It isn't enough you pay taxes on a vehicle once you buy it, and I expect that. But then you pay taxes again EVERY freaking year.

It has been like that but this is not the case any longer. Personal property tax on vehicles has always been collected in WV by the counties which mainly funds their schools. Yes counties still do still collect it from you but a couple years ago the state essentially negated it. The personal property tax you pay your county is now a credit on your state income tax. So now if you have paid $600 personal property tax on your car and motorcycle and come tax time owe $1,500 WV state income tax, you take the $600 property tax that you paid off the bottom line and only pay WV $900. If you owed no income tax the state would issue a refund of $600 for property tax paid. So 0 personal property tax on vehicles now. Also while WV has a 6% state sales tax firearms and ammunition are exempt! I doubt most of the "tax by state ratings" factor this.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
firearms and ammunition are exempt!

I forgot about that.
One more reason to visit WV more often.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
firearms and ammunition are exempt!

I forgot about that.
One more reason to visit WV more often.

Indeed, do come visit!

I often travel east to visit my daughter and family in Prince William County which is a nice area. But the property tax on their home and personal property tax they pay on their vehicles is eye watering to me. OTOH they make good salaries.

It's the budget, stupid.

I have a hard time getting excited when politicians claim they're ending any particular tax. Show me how you'll replace it, the money, because unless you lower the budget, it's just coming from somewhere else.

Just another card trick.

South Carolina has a property tax on vehicles.