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New formula standardizes tire tax rates
When the American Jobs Creation Act went into effect on January 1, 2005, the calculation for the Federal Excise Tax (FET) on truck tires changed from a physical weight-based assessment to a flat rate based on the load carrying capacity of the tire.
Since then, standard radial truck tires have been taxed at a rate of 9.45¢ for every 10 lb. over 3500 lb. of carrying capacity. So a tire with a maximum single capacity of 6175 lb. will have an FET of $25.28. Bias tires and those classified as wide-base are taxed at a lower rate of 4.725¢ for every 10 lb. over 3500 lb. of carrying capacity.
The standard radial truck tire formula is quite clear: The more weight the tire carries, the higher the tax. However, on the bias/wide-base side, there are a couple of...