Changes in Motor Vehicle Excise Tax Bills

There has been a change in the way the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) rounds vehicle values for Motor Vehicle excise bills. In previous years, the RMV has rounded the taxable value of each vehicle to the nearest $50 based on the vehicles original MSRP and now they have now changed that practice and are rounding the taxable valuation to the nearest $1. This change will make the bills more accurate for taxation purposes.

The value depreciation schedule has not changed and remains as follows:

50% Year Prior to Year of Manufacturing (i.e. 2021 vehicle registered in 2020)
90% Year of Manufacturing
60% 2nd Year
40% 3rd Year
25% 4th Year
10% 5th year and beyond.

When you receive your excise tax bill for 2020, you may see a slight fluctuation in the total excise tax bill due to this change, and it is particularly noticeable with vehicles 5 years or older that have had the same tax bill for several years.

Please note that the revision in valuation and rounding was not a change made by the Assessors' Office, but by the Massachusetts Registry of Vehicles as of January 2020. The Halifax Assessors' Office wanted to inform our residents of the changes in order to assist in understanding how, and why your bill looks different from other years. Thank you for your understanding and patience during this change.