All About Japan Autos

Culture Car News

New cars — new American-made cars, that is — could get a lot less expensive under a proposal being considered in North Dakota this week.

The AP reports, “A group of six North Dakota lawmakers has introduced legislation to exempt new Ford, Chrysler and General Motors vehicles from North Dakota’s sales tax and motor vehicle excise tax….The tax break would apply until June 30, 2010, to buyers of any new vehicles made by those companies. New vehicle leases would also get the tax break.”

The move is billed as a stimulus measure to help boost the economy. Autoblog comments, “Tax breaks as a stimulus? No-brainer. But in this case, it’s probably not music to the ears of Wolf’s fellow North Dakotans who happen to own automobile dealerships that sell non-Detroit-brand vehicles. Politically, it seems counterintuitive for a group of lawmakers (who presumably hope to be re-elected someday) to effectively screw some local constituent business owners in favor of others, all in the name of ultimately helping Detroit.”

Kicking Tires notes, however, that North Dakota’s government actually has money to spend right now, and is looking for ways to cut taxes and fees. “That’s right: While many states face unprecedented budget crises, North Dakota is deciding how to spend a $1.2 billion budget surplus.”

Research the best car deals with U.S. News’ car rankings and reviews.