Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Taxation Wheel Tax topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chester County to apply existing $65.35 wheel tax to 1‑ton trucks, motorcycles and side‑by‑sides
Summary
County officials said they will apply the existing wheel tax amount of $65.35 to vehicles that previously had been exempted — 1‑ton trucks and heavier, motorcycles and side‑by‑sides — with the change expected to take effect the following day and an estimated $80,000 annual revenue gain.
A county staff member told the Chester County Board of Commissioners that the county will apply its existing wheel tax to three vehicle categories that historically had been treated as exempt: 1‑ton trucks and heavier, motorcycles and side‑by‑sides. The staff member said the amount will remain unchanged at $65.35 and that applying the fee to those additional vehicles should raise about $80,000.
The staff member said the 1‑ton exemption dated to 1972, when “the farmers were the commissioners, and they didn't wanna pay wheel tax on their 1 ton trucks,” and that motorcycles had been handled separately in prior years. The staff member added that side‑by‑sides — recreational off‑road vehicles — are being treated as motorcycles for the purpose of the tax and will be charged accordingly.
“The amount's still the same. $65.35 — just applying to all motor vehicles that have to buy a tag,” the staff member said. “And so it should increase our revenue by about $80,000. And like you said, we've already approved it once. We just need to prove it again. It'll go into effect tomorrow.”
County staff emphasized the change does not alter the tax rate; it changes which vehicle types are subject to the fee. The transcript provided did not include a roll call or formal vote tied to this exchange, and no ordinance or statute citation was offered at the meeting.
County residents who register vehicles that fall into the newly covered categories should expect the $65.35 wheel tax to be applied when they obtain or renew their vehicle tag starting on the date staff indicated.
