JACKSON, Miss. – Car tag fees in Mississippi are the second-highest in the United States, often exceeding $1,000 annually, and remain increasingly difficult for the average taxpayer to predict according to a new report from the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor.
“Taxpayers all over the state have talked to me about how complex and expensive it is to get a car tag,” said Auditor Shad White. “They complain for a good reason: it’s hard for the average family to know how and why that bill is so big when they pay it.”
Analysts also found there’s no easy way for the average taxpayer to determine the cost of a car tag in part due to some parts of the car tag price formula remaining unpublished. For example, neither the amount of the Legislative Tag Credit—a significant rebate often worth half a car tag’s total price—nor a depreciation schedule for vehicles is published online. Moreover, someone could pay twice as much as their friend who lives across the street or a few miles down the road to tag the same type of vehicle.
After determining taxpayers have no accessible method of viewing the full car tag price formula, the team at the Office of the State Auditor compiled the full formula along with figures showing the 2024-2025 millage rate across the state that taxpayers can view to get a better understanding of their car tag fee cost.
The full report can be found under the “Reports” tab on the Auditor’s website and searching “Car Tag.”