Motor Vehicle Excise Exemptions
Board of Assessors
Motor vehicles owned and registered by the following individuals or
organizations are exempt from motor vehicle excise:
The Commonwealth or any political subdivision
thereof;
Charitable corporations or trusts and
religious corporations whose personal property is exempt
under the provisions of Chapter 59, Section 5, Clauses 3 and 10 and
possessing a tax exempt identification number;
Charitable organizations or non-degree
granting institutions who lease motor vehicles for a full
calendar year;
Lessors engaged in the business of leasing motor
vehicles registered in their name and leased for a full calendar
year to a charitable organization, other than a degree granting or
diploma awarding institution, whose personal property is exempt from
taxation under Chapter 59, Section 5, Clause 3;
A single motor vehicle owned and registered for the personal,
non-commercial use of the following persons is exempt from motor
vehicle excise (after providing the Assessor with the exemption
application completed by a physician) :
• World War I, World War ll, Korean or Vietnam veterans
who have a service connected disability as
certified by the Veteran's Administration, of permanent loss of use
of one or both feet, or one or both hands, or permanent impairment
of vision of one or both eyes;
• non-veterans who have suffered loss or permanent
loss of use of both legs or both arms, or, permanent impairment of
vision of both eyes;
Vehicles registered by former prisoners of any war,
in which the U.S. has been engaged. Proof must be furnished from the
Veterans Administration or it should appear on the veteran's
discharge papers;
Full-time military personnel stationed in
Massachusetts, but who have a permanent residency in another state
(a letter from the Commanding Officer stating legal place of
domicile is required).
Once any of these exemptions is allowed, required documentation must
be updated every five(5) years and a motor vehicle excise exemption
application must be filed annually.