Originally Posted by shamusodoofus' timestamp='1455036486' post='23875720

To make things clear, the law states when you purchase a vehicle privately you must pay tax on either the wholesale amount (UVIP value) or the amount written on the bill of sale (last page of the UVIP), the greater of the two. You can definitely get by paying less than wholesale value by declaring a lesser value on the bill of sale but this depends entirely on the employee working at the desk. If you get an overzealous employee they will do things by the book and charge you the greater of the two. If you're lucky, they will overlook it and do what works best for you.

If you want a guarantee that you will pay less than wholesale amount you can get your car appraised and inform the appraiser of your intention. 99% of appraisers will work with you, just don't expect them to give you a $0 appraisal. This being said, I have personally dealt with several MTO employees that insisted appraisals meant nothing. Even going as far as speaking to their supervisor. If the MTO employee does not want to cut you some slack, they simply won't. It's frustrating but my advice for you at that point is to go to a different office or pay the extra amount.

Hope this clarifies things.