Cook County Wheel Tax Violation (received in mail, not cited by police officer)

[PayrollHRGuy]

The company is a legal entity, It owns the car not you so no the Wheel Tax would not be owed.

 

[FarmerJ]

In 74 552 where it says> unless such vehicle be licensed as hereinafter provided.< Makes me wonder if someone still had a large functioning farm that used a old truck to move hay or anything else that NEVER went on a public road of any kind but was just used only on the owners land if local govt would still insist that payment was due? It appears to me too that the local govt in the pursuit of fundraising has gotten list that were address based of all vehicle owners who had vehicles that were not current on tabs and using that list ( I have seen more than one farm where they had old cars that were used to drive to barns and even other family members homes on dirt roads that were with in their own property lines and let them stay off township , county, city or state roads) ( where I live you cannot register a vehicle or even get tabs anymore unless you can provide a insurance card BUT if you retain ownership of a vehicle and the tabs expired in august and you wait 25 months before getting either new plates or new tabs you will not be made to pay for those 2 years in between

 

[Zigner]

According to the way the law is written, if I own a vehicle registered to my company address in another town (this vehicle is driven by an employee who does not live in unincorporated cook county) and am compliant with the vehicle stick license in that specific town (i.e. no sticker required) I must still purchase a cook county sticker because I live in unincorporated cook county. Am I correct with my understanding?

In that regard, the law is clear. If you own it, you must pay.

 

[b_abc123]

In that regard, the law is clear. If you own it, you must pay.

According to the way the laws are written, I would need to comply with three vehicle license regulations, one for Cook county (where I live) one in the town the vehicle is registered and one in Naperville (where my employee lives). That is being taxed three times! Actually two since the vehicle is registered where no stickers are required.

 

[Ejay]

Here are some exemptions you may qualify for:

• All license plates or emblems for vehicles exempt from payment of the vehicle tax shall be furnished by the Department at no charge. This emblem or license plate will have no expiration date and will remain valid for the duration of the ownership of the vehicle.​
  (a) All vehicles owned and operated upon the public ways of the unincorporated area of Cook County by the United States Government or any agency thereof, or by the State of Illinois or any department thereof, or by any political subdivision, public or municipal corporation of the State of Illinois or any department or other agency of such corporation, or by a nonprofit organization as defined by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, such as the American Red Cross, and all buses owned and operated by churches in conjunction with the authorized activities of said institutions under Section 3-616 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, shall be exempt from the vehicle tax. Every exempt vehicle in this sub-section, except those vehicles owned by the County of Cook which are used by said government agencies in confidential or undercover investigatory services or by an officer of any said agencies as the officer's official car shall have the name of the owner painted in letters at least one and one-half inches in length in a conspicuous place on the outside of each side of the vehicle; provided that in lieu of such identification every vehicle which is exempt from payment of the state motor vehicle registration fee, shall have a license plate or emblem as provided in Sections 74-556 and 74-560 herein and every vehicle owned by the United States Government or any agency thereof, which is not identified as required in this article, shall have such license plate or emblem.
  (b) Vehicles owned by a person with disabilities and registered with the State of Illinois under 625 ILCS 5/3-616, shall be exempt from this tax.
  (c) Vehicles owned by a disabled veteran, who has provided proof of a disability connected to service in the United States military, shall be exempt from this tax.
  
  A maximum of two vehicles owned by a person over the age of 65 shall upon satisfactory proof of the owner's age be exempt from this tax. This exemption is limited to vehicles in the XSV, XLV, or A class.​

http://cookcounty-il.elaws.us/code/coor_pti_ch74_artxiv_sec74-554

 

[Zigner]

Here are some exemptions you may qualify for:



http://cookcounty-il.elaws.us/code/coor_pti_ch74_artxiv_sec74-554

On what basis do you believe any of these apply?

 

[Ejay]

Here are some exemptions you may qualify for

I never said whether or not they do/do not apply. I simply posted the exemptions to the tax that the OP is being issued...

Not sure how I could possibly to be the one who determines if he/she is eligible based upon what has been posted.

Did you read the entire list of exemptions? There are some the OP could potentially qualify for.

How about this one?

A maximum of two vehicles owned by a person over the age of 65 shall upon satisfactory proof of the owner's age be exempt from this tax.

I'm not sure how old the OP is but maybe...

Or possibly this one:

Vehicles owned by a disabled veteran, who has provided proof of a disability connected to service in the United States military, shall be exempt from this tax.

Once again, I don't know the OP so I am not sure if any of these apply. Its worth the read though...

 

[Zigner]

Don't you suppose the OP would have piped up earlier when the code sections were posted if any of those exemptions applied?

 

[Ejay]

There's 19 different code sections each of which needs to be clicked on individually. I was simply highlighting one that has a chance of being benefical to what the OP is trying to accomplish.

 

[Zigner]

There's 19 different code sections each of which needs to be clicked on individually. I was simply highlighting one that has a chance of being benefical to what the OP is trying to accomplish.

Ouch - you mean he would have to read something? Heavens to Betsy!

 

[WhiteHairSasquatch]

Hello,

On the same topic, but a slight segue, I also received the wheel tax violation in the mail. I have since bought 2018-2019 Wheel tax stickers for unincorporated Cook County and put them on my cars. I took pictures of them, have the receipts for them, and took a photograph of them on the windshields of all of my vehicles (with the license plate). Is the fact that I have now have proof that I complied with the law that requires that I have the stickers ON my cars at this time grounds for having the PENALTY thrown out at the hearing? Does anyone know? I know that I am on the hook for double 2017-2018 wheel taxes, but I was never cited by the police for failure to have wheel tax stickers, NOR failing to put them on my car. Isn't there a double-jeopardy situation here, i.e. if I don't have the stickers in the first place, how can I comply with the law that says that they must be on my car. Do I have a case? Would it be a good idea to show at the hearing with this proof, or am I wasting my time traveling downtown to the Peoples Republic of Chicago, which also costs a fortune.... Thanks!

 

[Zigner]

Are you asking if you be cited for not having them on your car if the reason for not having them on your car is that you never got because you didn't comply with the law that required you to get them in the first place?

To be clear - this is not double jeopardy.

 

[WhiteHairSasquatch]

You are correct, I admit that I did not comply with the law for last year, and I am willing to take my lumps with the double wheel tax (for me, it is $620. I was wondering if now that I have 18-19 stickers, with proof, am I still on the hook for the PENALTY portion, which is an extra $300 more ($75 x 4 vehicles) and would it do any good for me to go to the hearing to argue that I am currently in compliance for 18-19 and thus am no longer in violation for failure to have the stickers on my vehicle at this time prior to my hearing? Wondering if anybody knows. Thanks!

 

[Zigner]

You might get a break, but the fact of the matter is that, at the time of the citation, you weren't in compliance.

 

[WhiteHairSasquatch]

Thanks Zigner. As you know, I was not cited by law enforcement. Just received an administrative hearing notice in the mail and I had my 18-19 tags 3 weeks before my scheduled hearing on 27 June. They have no proof that I did not have stickers on my windshield other than DMV records, but I have concrete proof of current compliance. I am just wondering if it makes any difference, i.e. should I just pay $920 and stay home, or go downtown and pay *maybe* only $620, if I am able to get the penalty removed.... I am thinking the latter, but will just pay $920 if there is no hope.