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Hi,
I'm going to be moving from MA (Boston) to TX (Austin) in a few weeks and will need a new car there. I was just going to buy a car there but the few dealerships with the car that I want (2012 white/sand Mazda5) are asking ridiculously high prices (above MSRP) and don't seem to be willing to budge. I thought instead I would buy the car here and ship it there since there are many more dealers here and the sales tax is the same. Then it occurred to me, why not buy it in NH where there is no sales tax?
According to the Texas DMV website, since I'm a new resident I'll only have to pay a $90 fee to bring the car in. It will need to be registered in another state however. Since MA has the same sales tax rate that wouldn't do me much good. Can I register it in NH and then have it immediately shipped to TX?
When I bought my last car out of state (I bought it in PA and I live in NY), they gave me a 30-day temporary tag. The dealer didn't collect any sales tax at the time of sale, but I had to pay the NY sales tax on it once I went to the DMV back in NY to register it here.
Hi,
I'm going to be moving from MA (Boston) to TX (Austin) in a few weeks and will need a new car there. I was just going to buy a car there but the few dealerships with the car that I want (2012 white/sand Mazda5) are asking ridiculously high prices (above MSRP) and don't seem to be willing to budge. I thought instead I would buy the car here and ship it there since there are many more dealers here and the sales tax is the same. Then it occurred to me, why not buy it in NH where there is no sales tax?
According to the Texas DMV website, since I'm a new resident I'll only have to pay a $90 fee to bring the car in. It will need to be registered in another state however. Since MA has the same sales tax rate that wouldn't do me much good. Can I register it in NH and then have it immediately shipped to TX?
Thanks!
No. Not unless you have residency in NH. You pay tax based on the state in which you reside, not on the state in which you purchase the car. I know firsthand. My last half a dozen cars were all purchased out of state.
Typically you will have to pay the appropriate sales tax in the state it is first registered in, regardless of where the purchase is made. There are some exceptions where you will pay again as a 'use tax' on a re-registration where states have decided to stop people from avoiding tax on vehicle purchases.
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