Car tags in Mississippi typically cost between $300 and $700 a year. In the first year, a car tag can sometimes cost between $800 and $1,500. Cross the state line into Arkansas or Alabama, and the same car tag will cost you about half as much.
Put aside, for a moment, what this says about car tags. What does it say about Mississippi politics?
This is a state where voters consistently elect conservative leaders at every level of government. And yet we still end up with some of the highest car tag costs in the country.
Sadly, it is not just car tags where Mississippi seems to end up with rather less than the full-flavor conservatism voters thought they were buying.
Mississippians elect lawmakers in the expectation that they will be conservative. It is why both the House and the Senate have solidly conservative majorities. But when it comes to the laws those majorities actually pass, things are not always as conservative as you might expect.
Listening to some Republicans in the Senate kill the school choice bill in 84 seconds, you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching progressive lawmakers in Massachusetts or Minnesota.
Under the Mississippi constitution, you — the voter — are entitled to a direct say through the ballot initiative. Due to changes in the number of congressional districts, the old trigger mechanism was ruled defunct. Rather than restore it — which is what you would expect from conservatives who trust the people — our Senate leadership has consistently killed every effort to bring it back.
There have, of course, been some important wins. Labor deregulation in 2021. Flat tax reform in 2022, thanks to Speaker Gunn, which paved the way for the income tax elimination law passed in 2025. This session, too, saw an important step toward repealing red tape in healthcare — the certificate of need law, an intentionally protectionist relic.
But part of the problem is this. With local media struggling, politicians know that no one is really holding them to account for what they actually do. So long as they turn up at the right events and post the right photos on social media — hunting trips, club suppers — they get assumed to be conservative. Even when they vote rather more like a Kamala Harris Democrat.
The good news is that there is now a tool that lets you see how your lawmakers actually voted.
The Mississippi Freedom Index has just launched. At MississippiFreedom.com, you can see how your local representative voted on the key issues of this session. You will notice that there are only two key bills tracked — because, frankly, this session only produced two clearly conservative measures. And even then, a large chunk of the Republican caucus failed to support them.
Take a look. You can also pull up campaign finance reports for each lawmaker, so you can see who is supporting them.
Like the cost of car tags, one of the great Mississippi mysteries is why a state that votes so consistently conservative so seldom sees fully conservative policy.
It is also important to recognize those genuinely principled leaders in our state — like Speaker Jason White — who have shown real conservative leadership when it counted.
The first step in getting more of them, and fewer of the Kamala kind, is knowing the difference. MississippiFreedom.com is how you find out.
This post was authored by Mississippi Center for Public Policy President Douglas Carswell.
MCPP sponsored this post.
26 comments:
MDOT gets like 80% funded by the federal government. That means the taxpayers in wealthier states like Virginia, Colorado, and Florida are really paying for Mississippi’s roads. Same with just about everything else. The MSGOP brags about a balanced state budget. But those Mississippi-democrats-in-denial are still spending some else’s money.
The money has to come from somewhere. Either the sales tax is higher, gas tax is higher or some other fee. In some states around us the gas tax is 10-20 cents more so each time you fill up you pay $2.50 more, x 4 times a month x 12 equals $120 a year more. Over 5 years that's $600 in costs.
Apathy, fearmongering and misinformation are killing our country, nationally and statewide.
I disagree with the first step. The first step is getting rid of Democrat Delbert.
There is no "tax elimination" in Mississippi. The legislature only shifts the burden from one tax category to another so they can beat their chests about reducing taxes. To borrow a phrase from 'The Sopranos', "It's a TV program. A movie."
"It is also important to recognize those genuinely principled leaders in our state — like Speaker Jason White"
Principled meaning whoever pays him the most he pushes for their principles?
Douglas Carswell is having a major impact on Mississippi and our tax reforms. Mississippi has a way to go. Maybe he can bring in more people from the UK to help us. MS seems to be lacking real conservative leaders. RINO’s rule unfortunately.
He should investigate frontage roads that make influential political fatcats happy next.
1,000% true. In 10 years the taxes will be shifted to other categories along with more chest beating.
A palm filled with grease is needed. That's all.
taxes were the catalyst for our revolution. they will be again. taxes are laws against nature
Almost all of the cost is ad valorem tax, which rates do vary by location. Folks in cities get the honor of paying city taxes on top of the county and school tax everyone pays. (Just as they do on their house) As automobile prices have doubled, and given the tax rate is based upon valuation, wouldn't one expect the associated tax to also double? Matching the payment of the ad valorem tax with the auto registration is simply a tool to assist in compliance, that I do not think all states utilize - hence some states have much smaller "tag" costs as they are only for registration. The ad valorem or use tax bill comes separately.
Now, would it be nice to receive relief? Of course, but 1) if one can afford a $70,000 car, the ad valorem tax, although unpleasant, should be manageable, and 2) the money must come from somewhere.
Never let it be said that Carswell lets the whole story get in the way of sensationalism.
Once again, this is a dishonest argument that fails to disguise between sales tax/ title transfer and vehicle registration.
Mac @12:20
But with a gas tax at least the people who are using the roads are paying for them. Grandma pays $675 for her tag and drives 10,000 miles per year. Jr. Pays $675 for his tag and drives 125,000 miles per year. Obviously Grandma is not damaging the roads nearly as much as Jr, but they pay the same. Car tags should cost $50 and increase gas tax so the actual users of the roads pay for them. Car renters and out-of-state driving through MS also help(they don’t buy car tags)
As Valorem taxes go to your county, school district. Municipality if you live in town. Cut that from car tags, see immediate increase in property taxes. Moneys got to come from somewhere…
Sounds like the car tag system is being run by the same folks who oversee the ABC warehouse. Don’t matter who it hurts as long as they get theirs.
in florida a car tag is 25$ no matter if its a hoopde or a new porshe. the rednecks in rankin county all drive down to pensacola, get a p o box, and declare it their residence and buy a florida tag. law enforcement
t
here is too lax to do anything about it. there a 40 cars in my neighborhood with florida tags.
article mentions a new website that can track how legislators vote.
15 years ago, when I had to do this as part of my job, it was already available on the legislature's website. Campaign finance reports are also available at SOS website. good grief.
I've always seen what Mississippi charges for car tags, as being extremely FAIR. I've regarded the state's Income Tax as being fair, too. In both cases, people with the most money coming in, are paying the most. What's becoming UNfair, are taxes on homes and farmland. And both will get worse, if car tags and the Income Tax go away.
I have to wonder, if those leading Mississippi, are not in league with powerful interests which would reduce average Mississippians the status of tenants and serfs. Huge, powerful entities, are structured so as to be immune to taxes. Little people, however, will eventually - inevitably - start losing their homes and their farms - properties which will be snapped-up by the big guys who've secretly manipulated the state's taxation system.
Don't let the RINOs and astroturfers dismantle what's been a very fair system. Eliminating the fair taxes, will mean (eventually) jacking-up property taxes.
Read the histories of your OWN FAMILIES. Remember, that your own forebears lost farms during that horrible era, when the Boll Weevil was followed by a series of financial panics, culminating in the Great Depression. As I remember hearing, on one day, during the Depression, one third of the land in Mississippi, was auctioned-off: lost by it's owners, who COULDN'T PAY THE TAXES.
It could happen, again. And pause to consider who's poised to snap-up the land.
How long you been a Communist?
I have lived in several states over the decades. MS is by far the cheapest car tags we've ever had. Florida was/is not all it was cracked up to be. We lived there many years. When you move "in" to FL from another state and tag your vehicle from another state, you can and will possibly pay a lot of additional taxes/fees and our initial cost for one car was about $1200 for 2 Dr. lisc. and taxes on the incoming car and the fees. A lot of the price depends on the Florida county (ours was an expensive county on the East Coast) and their discretionary fees/tax for bringing into the state on certain vehicles/in a certain time frame was pricey. (renewals were cheaper but that initial one hits you hard if they are expensive in your county). Drivers lis. are more expensive, etc. I don't know how anyone can get away with a FL tag living in MS without downright fraud, cause we had to show/take a lot of paperwork, proof of residence and have FL driving insurance before we got the tag and Dr. lisc, etc. They looked at it all. Electricity was double here, groceries double, etc. and you are not taxed on the groceries so they just mark the price up---I'd much rather pay taxes here and pay a reasonable amt. My property taxes are not really expensive here and my car tag that I renewed today in Madison county (a 2019 car) was $72 mailed to the door. I'm good with MS taxes/fees. I've lived in such expensive places, I'm happy with MS prices. I'd rather not pay any property taxes, but if we don't pay that one day, I know something else will just go up. We don't have it so bad. The cost of living has been more anywhere else we've ever lived.
You just made the case for eliminating ALL property taxes.
The state sales tax on autos is double or triple the cost of a tag. Sales tax on an auto is 5 percent. That's 3,500 on 70k. Tag would be 1/2 of that in the highest tag county. Here's the difference! Car tag money has to be spent on roads and bridges at the local level. State sales tax on autos goes in the general fund! There's your mystery! The general fund!
Does anyone follow the history of Mississippi car tags? They used to cost a lot more. Then they decided to give us a break and lower it. It was still high but they felt like they gave us some relief. THEN they wanted to pretend to eliminate the state income tax. The state income tax is still here but they promise to eliminate if it is feasible. Just trust them. BUT they immediately increased my car tag last year. The tax collector said is was due to state income tax elimination hopes. Does anyone ever hold politicians accountable for what they do? I moved from urban to rural - my property taxes are higher and the amenities are less. Guys it isn’t as cheap as they advertise. U are being fed BS and the only winners are politicians.
8:41, Yes, but Governor Tate Reeves needed a private drive to avoid a few red lights.
And the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Trey Lamar, had a flooding problem in his neighborhood and golf course. That he just happened to buy land that would be improved was nothing more than a happy coincidence.
The cost of a car tag was cut in half during the '90's, when state gambling revenue came in far above expectations (I believe the state estimated it would get $40-50 million per year and it wound up being $300-350 million). Other states have cheaper car tags but, believe me, the state gets its money. I worked with a group of folks from Kentucky once and they thought car tags here were fine, because, while car tags were cheap, Kentucky levels a "personal property tax" on cars, boats, just about everything you own that is higher.
Mississippi is a low tax state. The problem is the GOP has no other platform other than "cut taxes" that resonates with voters. So, every year they find some tax that is "putting MS at a disadvantage," or "bad for the business climate," and beat that drum until some action is taken and then move to the next one.
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