Proposed state law would crack down on Missouri’s temporary vehicle tags

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - One of the many bills that have so far been pre-filed in the Missouri House of Representatives is a measure that would crack down hard on Missouri drivers with expired temporary vehicle tags.

“If that temporary tag is on there, and it’s expired, that means that individual hasn’t paid their sales tax and are most likely driving without insurance,” the bill’s sponsor, State Rep. Brad Pollitt said. “Those are all laws in the state of Missouri.”

The proposed change would allow law enforcement agents to stop, inspect, or detain a person “solely to determine whether a temporary permit is current.”

If the tag is deemed to be expired, the agent would be allowed to seize the tag and impose a fine of $200 for the violation.

“There seems to be a larger number of folks driving on temporary tags that are not just expired for a month or two, they’re expired for a year or two,” Pollitt said.

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The Missouri Association of Auto Dealers recently estimated up to $60 million of taxes on vehicles sales were delinquent in the state.

In August, the City of St. Charles began encouraging citizens to capture a picture of any expired temporary tags and report them to police.

The next month, the city’s police department began confiscating the tags.

“The whole idea around the entire program is voluntary compliance to go get your vehicle properly ed,” Lt. Tom Wilkison said. “So, if they were driving around with an expired tag, it’s really no different than driving around with no tag at all.”

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