“Dear PoPville,
I’ve been shopping for a car (new or used), and recently had a Virginia car dealership provide a quote for a used car that included the DC excise tax and an additional 7% “DC sales tax,” which the dealer insisted was owed in addition to the excise tax – and which in this case added almost $2,000 to the total cost of the car. I haven’t seen a sales tax in other “out the door price” quotes I’ve been offered – just the excise tax – so I wonder if I’m being scammed. (The dealership, for what it’s worth, is near Dulles, and claims to make lots of sales to DC customers.)
We’ve tried to contact the DC Office of Tax and Revenue and the DMV, but haven’t found anyone who can give us a definitive answer – when you’re buying a car (new or used) that will be registered in DC, is there a sales tax plus the excise tax? Or just the excise tax?
Hoping the PoPville community could provide the answer!”