What Happens If You Don’t Pay HVUT?
The FHWA, IRS, State and Local Agents are working together to identify and report the HVUT evasions. Listing
down the reasons, out of their investigations :
- Registering the weight of the vehicle lower than the actual gross taxable weight.
- Registering a vehicle as an “Exempt Vehicle” but using it for private or other commercial activities.
- Claiming the mileage limit less than 5,000 miles falsely for normal commercial vehicles annually and
7,500 miles for agricultural vehicles.
- Re-titling of the vehicles continuously.
- When registering vehicles, bribing local and private agents while checking for proof of payment.
- Failure to remit tax.
- Forging or falsifying Form 2290 or IRS Stamped Schedule 1.
The IRS, FHWA, State and Local Agents are working together to identify and address HVUT evasions. HVUT
non-compliance for states penalties is even heavier. The Secretary of Transportation can withhold up to 25%
of the Interstate Maintenance funds (23 U.S.C. 104 (b)(5)) when it fails even one of it’s compliance
reviews.
When an examiner checks and detects non-compliance, the findings must be given to the management in the FHWA
division office. The matter will be brought to the attention of the U.S. DOT Office of Inspector
General(OIG), according to the assessment of FHWA division management. The compliance review report will be
delayed once the OIG launches investigation as the information in it might be utilized as evidence during
the criminal investigation. After the completion of all criminal investigations and prosecutions, the
finding of non-compliance is made public.