| Have you filed your heavy highway vehicle use tax | | | | Once you've made your payment, it is a good idea to |
| return? A lot of businesses use the roads a lot more | | | | keep your form available and in your truck because |
| than others. For instance, big trucks that transport | | | | authorities may often ask to see proof that you have |
| goods from coast to coast are constantly on the road, | | | | paid your fee. |
| adding to deterioration and sometimes chaotic road | | | | Where to Pay |
| conditions. | | | | Before, the heavy highway vehicle use tax return |
| The money to keep our roads running needs to come | | | | could only be filed at the local office or by United |
| from somewhere, and a lot of the money comes from | | | | States Post. You had to go into an office and pick up |
| taxes. One such tax is the Heavy Highway Vehicle | | | | the form, or you could go online and download it |
| Use Tax, a tax paid by owners of commercial | | | | yourself, but after you filled it out, you had to drop it off |
| vehicles that weight more than 55,000 pounds or more. | | | | with a payment or mail it in. |
| The money is passed along to help states maintain | | | | And filing through snail mail, on the other hand, took |
| and build new roads across the nation-as well as a | | | | way too long, leaving you without proof and thus |
| variety of other purposes that benefit our highway | | | | unable to obtain insurance or lease on a truck. |
| systems. | | | | E-filing |
| Exemptions | | | | But ever since August of 2007, it has become possible |
| Not everyone operating a large vehicle has to pay the | | | | to file online, which of course is far more convenient |
| tax. Vehicles that don't spend much time on the road, | | | | than filing in person and eliminates the long process of |
| heavy machinery not meant for the highways, and | | | | doing it through post. |
| vehicles used for government purposes are all | | | | Now, instead of going out of your way to sit in an |
| exempt. | | | | office and wait in line to file the paperwork, you can |
| Emergency vehicles for volunteer organizations, such | | | | eliminate the entire nuisance and make it automatic |
| as volunteer fire departments, do not have to pay | | | | from your office or home. |
| either, and even certified blood collection organizations | | | | You'll still need to have your proof of payment, but on |
| are in the clear. | | | | the internet it can be downloaded and printed out |
| But it is important to know that you can even be | | | | within less than an hour. |
| penalized for not filing even if you are exempt, so be | | | | Never Avoid Responsibility |
| sure that you know what you're doing before just | | | | Don't ever miss a payment or, even worse, fail to |
| deciding you're exempt. | | | | even file your heavy highway vehicle use tax return. |
| The Process | | | | Late fees will be charged, and if there is suspicion that |
| To pay the tax, you have to file the form 2290 with | | | | you are avoiding your tax, you can be prosecuted and |
| Internal Revenue Service. The payment has to made | | | | subjected to fines, incarceration, or home detention. |
| in total each time; you can't just pay a partial payment. | | | | |