My Annual Reminder...That Our Van Is Never Really Fully Ours

We licensed the van today and after getting it inspected, I drove to the DMV and left with a little red sticker. It reminded me of something.

That I never really own our vehicle, at least, if I want to legally drive it on the road.

This isn't a "taxes suck" or "taxes aren't fair" post, but a simple observation. It's the same with your home--you don't pay your taxes, you don't get to stay in the house. Even if you've paid off the car or house entirely, you still have to pay the taxes every year.

Now, there's no rule that I must own a car or a home. I could take public transportation or bike to everywhere I need to go, and I could rent an apartment or a home and not pay the taxes (of course, you can argue the rent is paying the taxes for someone else--the difference is if you don't pay your rent, you get kicked out and you can go somewhere else; you don't lose equity in a house because of it...). 

The little red sticker signals to everyone--especially cops--that the taxes for the year are paid in full and I can operate the van on the roads for another year. Next year, I'll be back, inspection completed paperwork in hand, ready to fork out more $$ for another little sticker.

I wonder what color it will be. Whatever they chose it will cost green to be able to drive for another year.