Is that US$700 - just for the plate?!? Is that a one-time fee?
I believe the plate stays with the bike in the UK. Right?
Here in the U.S. the most important thing is that the State gets its sales tax EVERY time a vehicle is sold. Here in RI if the vehicle is sold 5 times in one year the state gets its 7.5% tax 5 times. Then you pay a property tax to your town every year on that vehicle.
When all is said and done and the final accounting is clear, we pay pretty close to 50% taxes on the money we make. A lot of it goes in things that most people don't even think of and don't seem to care. The other side of that coin is that totally unproductive people with practically no income can get huge tax refunds from things that are disguised with titles like the earned income tax credit which gives them refunds (actually a tax payer funded welfare check) that eclipse those that people with actual incomes who get up and slog off to work every day get.
What a country. And it costs us almost 4.5 Trillion a year (a huge amount of which just disappears down rat holes) to support this federal "government" whose two main jobs seem to be (1) getting reelected and (2) f ing the very people who get up and go to work every day and pay these f ing so-called "legislators' " salaries. And they amazingly seem to become multi-millionaires if they can get themselves reelected a few times. If they stay for 25 or 30 years as many of them do, it's guaranteed. Some of them can't even keep their place when reading their prepared statements in committee hearings. I have seen some come in on walkers.
I probably should delete this, but what the haitch?