Released on March 29, 2004
SGI is updating the vehicle registration system in Saskatchewan, making it more fair and balanced for all motorists. The changes to simplify the system will be phased in over the next year and a half and represent the first registration fee changes since 1993.Effective Jan. 1st, 2005, most light vehicles will be registered under the new
Class LV, eliminating the five different registration classes that exist today for cars, pick up trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans. To prepare for that change, the seven different fee levels will be replaced with a flat $68 registration fee as of July 1st, 2004.
Vans and sport utility vehicles currently registered in Class F will also be moved to the new class.
"The creation of Class LV makes an overly complicated system simpler for our customers to understand and for our motor licence issuers to administer," Minister Responsible for SGI Maynard Sonntag said. "Some vehicle owners will pay less under the new system and no one will experience an increase of more than $10 a year."
Registration fees for approximately 450,000 private vehicles in Classes PV, F, A, C and D will go up by $10 per year, approximately 5,200 vehicle fees will stay the same, while fees for the other 196,000 vehicles will decrease.
Registration fees are collected by SGI on behalf of the provincial government to help pay for many provincial expenditures, including road and highway maintenance. Because heavy vehicles can cause considerable damage on Saskatchewan highways, heavy vehicle registration fees will be re-balanced over the next year.
"The re-balancing of fees improves fairness so that those heavy vehicles which cause more damage on our roads pay higher registration fees," Sonntag said. "These initial adjustments set the stage for the move to one heavy commercial vehicle class."
Due to their growing use and wear on Saskatchewan roads, farm trailers over 4,600 kg (10,000 lbs) will no longer be exempt from registration fees as of July 1st, 2005. As a result, the gross weight of these farm trailers will be included in calculating the registration fee for the large trucks pulling these trailers.
Overall, registration fees are being re-balanced in the farm class. Fees will go up or down reflecting the road damage caused by a particular vehicle. For example, farm trucks that are five-axle and smaller will see increases ranging from $21 to $130. However, seven and eight-axle farm trucks will see fees reduced by as much as 62 per cent.
Farmers will also have the option of minimizing the costs of new registration requirements by registering their trailers on a one-time basis with no insurance. The $32 one-time registration fee is consistent with Alberta's $30 one-time farm trailer fee. Commercial trailers will also have the option of purchasing a one-time plate for $100.
SGI has worked hard to ensure these vehicle registration changes mean a simpler system that's easier for motorists to understand and that fairly redistributes the fees paid by vehicle owners.
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For More Information, Contact:
| Julianne Jack SGI Regina Phone: (306) 775-6907 |