Motor Vehicle Excise Valuation

The Registry of Motor Vehicles sets the value of registered vehicles based on the MSRP (Manufactured Suggested Retail Price) of the vehicle and the following schedule:

• Year preceding designated year of manufacture  50%
• In the year of manufacture 90%
• In the second year 60%
• In the third year 40%
• In the fourth year 25%
• In the fifth and succeeding years 10%

   

Motor Vehicle Excise Abatement 

In order to receive an abatement on your Motor Vehicle Excise Tax, certain paperwork is required by the Assessor's Office before the abatement can be processed. The paperwork needed depends on what you did with your vehicle. Abatement requests do not have to be made in person. Pictures of required documents may be taken and emailed to assessors@town.pepperell.ma.us . It takes six to eight weeks to get a check back for your abatement. Abatements from one car cannot automatically be transferred to another bill. The check for the abatement amount will be directly mailed to you. 

No fees or interest can be abated. The abatement is based on the excise tax alone. You are still responsible for any fees and interest.

No abatement may be granted and no refund may be paid in an amount less than $5.

Revoked plates are NOT cancelled plates and you will continue to receive Excise Bills if you registration is in this status. For those moving out of state, it is NOT enough for you to cancel you insurance.  Cancelling insurance automatically puts your registration in REVOKED status. Go online and cancel you registration first, then cancel your insurance. 
   
Click here to cancel your registration at the RMV site
    
  
Reasons for Abatement.   What Happened to Your Vehicle?

Please review the information below and if you still have questions about what paperwork is needed, please call the Assessor’s office at 978-433-0322.
 
You can also mail the required materials with a description of why you are applying for an abatement to the Assessor’s Office, 1 Main St, Pepperell, MA 01463 or fax this information to us at 978-433-0338 if that is more convenient.  If you are mailing or faxing the information, please leave a phone number where you can be reached if we have any questions.

Sold Your Vehicle
Please provide bill of sale of the vehicle that was sold. A photo copy of the title signed over to the new owner is also acceptable if you do not have a bill of sale.
..AND..
Either a plate return receipt from the registry, or a copy of the new registration if the plate was transferred.

Traded Your Vehicle
Please provide something that shows you traded your vehicle. Usually the bill of sale or financing statement for the new vehicle has the trade information on it. An odometer statement of the old vehicle from the dealer is also acceptable.
..AND..
Either a plate return receipt from the registry, or a copy of the new registration if the plate was transferred.

Junked or Donated Your Vehicle
Please provide a receipt from the junk yard or charitable organization.
..AND..
Either a plate return receipt from the registry, or a copy of the new registration if the plate was transferred.

Totaled Your Vehicle

Please provide the settlement statement from the insurance company that specifies that the vehicle was a total loss. This should also have the date of the total loss.
..AND..
Either a plate return receipt from the registry, or a copy of the new registration if the plate was transferred.

Gave It to a Friend or Relative
Please provide the friend's/relative's registration or a photocopy of a signed title.
..AND..
Either a plate return receipt from the registry, or a copy of the new registration if the plate was transferred.

Moved Out of State

Please provide a copy of the registration of the vehicle in your new state.
..AND..
A copy of the plate return receipt from Massachusetts.

Moved to Another City/Town in Massachusetts
If you lived in Pepperell on January 1st of the year of the bill, then you need to pay the excise tax to Pepperell.

If you had moved in the previous year but still get an excise bill from Pepperell, we can recommit it to your new town. Please bring in your license with your new address. You should also check your 'Place of Principle Garaging' at the registry to make sure it is your new town.

Overvaluation on Trailers/Campers
If this is the first excise bill you have gotten on your trailer/camper and you believe it to be extremely overvalued, please bring in a copy of the sales receipt from your purchase.
If this is a trailer/camper that you have owned for years and have had it previously abated, just let us know and we will abate it as we have done in the past.

Returned Plates or Transferred Plates But Still Have Car
To be eligible for an abatement, two things must happen: 

1. registration on the vehicle must be canceled
2. there must be some sort of transfer of ownership

If you returned the plates or transferred them to a new vehicle but still have ownership to the old car, we CANNOT grant an abatement.
 
Since you cancelled or transferred your registration, you should NOT receive another excise bill on this car in years following the cancellation or transfer. However, if you should receive a bill in a following year, still have the car but cancelled the registration, we can abate the excise for the following year.