Officials closing in on vehicle scofflaws

Some 300-400 cars in Lebanon driveways this morning are illegally registered in New Hampshire, Selectman Jason Cole suspects.

And for those vehicle registration scofflaws, the rubber is getting ready to hit the road.

Court summonses will be going out in the next couple of weeks after officials confer with suspected violators to make sure there is not some legitimate reason that enables them to register their car in a different state, in most cases New Hampshire.

The implications are far-ranging, including tax fraud charges by the state of Maine and criminal charges from New Hampshire where it is a felony to use the wrong address to register a vehicle, according to Cole who has spearheaded much of the effort.

Officials are also cross-referencing suspected scofflaws with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries to see if they have purchased a Maine resident fishing or hunting license using a Maine driver’s license.

New Hampshire drivers are not compelled to buy vehicle insurance, and many are posing as New Hampshire residents to not only avoid insurance premiums but also to avoid paying Maine state income tax.

New Hampshire has no income tax.

“They (the state of Maine) will audit everybody we find, because they probably aren’t paying (Maine) income tax,” Cole said.

When they purchase the care they also avoid paying the sales tax when they register it in the Granite State.

A law enforcement officer is currently helping to “document through many resources violations throughout the town,” Cole said. “We’re making a book on each car.” Making a “book” refers to writing down the vehicle’s movements to help determine if the owner is, in reality, a New Hampshire resident or not.

Cole said it’s very possible some of the so-called scofflaws have legitimate reasons to be parking their vehicles in Maine so much, but those who do not should be aware of the consequences.

Once a violator is summonsed the fine is $911 a day until they properly register their car in Maine, which they would also need auto insurance to do.

Then the town would collect any excise tax due, and the state of Maine could investigate the individuals for taxes owed, Cole said.

Excise taxes collected stay with the town, and the approximately $120,000 that would likely be collected if suspected vehicles were properly registered in Maine would go a long way to helping the town’s budget and taxpayers who are paying extra taxes because of violators’ deceit, Cole said.