Arkansas – Arkansas is set to undergo a significant shift concerning temporary vehicle tags. The forthcoming change is anticipated to greatly impact both the utility of these tags and the accompanying responsibilities.
In a progressive move designed to benefit the residents, the state of Arkansas is set to extend the duration for vehicle registration. Commencing from the 1st of August, vehicle buyers in the state will have an extended period during which they can use their temporary tags.
This administrative alteration is expected to bring relief to drivers, possibly reducing the incidence of expired paper tags on the state’s roads. “We are giving them the ability where they don’t have to pay penalties that they have no control over,” announced State Representative Fran Cavenaugh.
Cavenaugh played a pivotal role in this development, having introduced and sponsored the legislation that will now see temporary tags remain valid for 60 days, effectively doubling the existing 30-day limit. This extension provides vehicle owners with additional time to complete the vehicle registration process and settle the applicable sales tax.
Cavenaugh, who is also part of the auto industry, cited personal experiences with the need for such an extension. “If someone turned their vehicle into us, and it has a lien on it, and the dealer has to pay it off, most of the time, the dealers aren’t getting that title back from the bank or finance source until 45-50 days,” she elucidated.
This delay often results in penalties and additional fees because owners are unable to license the vehicle within the stipulated time. Furthermore, Cavenaugh emphasized the importance of allowing drivers more time to pay the sales tax. “30 extra days to give them the ability to come up with that sales tax will help a lot of the lower income Arkansans, and that was one of the driving forces for me,” Cavenaugh added.
Scott Hardin, a representative from the Department of Finance and Administration, expressed optimism that these changes will curb the number of expired temporary tags across the state. “Today we’ve got 32,000 people driving unexpired tags in Arkansas,” revealed Hardin, noting an increase of three thousand more drivers with expired tags than the previous year.
“The state’s doing everything we can to change that, but it’s really in the hands of Arkansans,” Hardin further commented. For newcomers to the state post-August, Hardin reassured that they would also be allotted twice the time to transition to an Arkansas plate and driver’s license.
“It’s really the state saying, ‘hey, you need time.’ And we understand that,” he added. This expansion of time will also be applicable to motorcycles and commercial trucks, but only post the August 1 commencement date.
