The California DMV has a site to calculate fees. I did an example for a $30,000 2019 motorcycle purchased on 11/1/ 2019.
fees as follows:

 

Who is the Benificiary? Canada DMV?

 

No such thing as a "Canada DMV". As stated earlier in this (4-year old) thread, life insurance w/registration is not a requirement in all Canadian provinces. Vehicle registration and insurance is administered at the provincial, not federal, level.

 

Here in Missouri, a 2-year plate runs $29.50.

 

Here in TN it goes by a 'wheel tax'. It's different in each county of the state. Most counties it costs $50 or less to renew ones tags per year. There are, if I remember right, about 4 or 5 counties though that are higher than all the others, by far, and unfortunately I'm in one of them and it costs us $77/yr.

I actually had to go in today to do this and I asked them who I needed to talk to to find out just where this county's 'wheel tax' is going, because I live in a county that has absolutely *NOTHING* except a friggin' new lake that *hasn't* even come close to bringing the revenew they told ius it would bring, so our county is taxing us the same as Knox county where the *HUGE* city of Knoxville is located and where that city alone has 20 times more infrastructure than our entire county!! Carroll County has absolutely *nothing* in comparison and which is why I want to know why we're taxed the same as a county that has a tremendous income compared to ours.

And yes, $77/yr is a damned hardship on me when my disability check will barely keep the roof over my head and enough food for the month to eat!

 

It's county tax differences on the sticker. I'm north of Dayton and I remember mid 30s last year.

 

If memory serves me correct, plates for this year (5/19 thru 5/20) were $130 for my '17 Sportster.

 

Life insurance? Is the government the beneficiary?

 

Just paid my registration today for 1 of my bikes.
License Fee: $21.

And we don't have your confiscatory personal property tax.

Oh yeah, we get to ride during the next 4-5 months while your bikes are mothballed due to weather. Then, when you have your Spring thaw, you get to "re-learn" how to ride again.
Meanwhile, we'll be racking up thousands and thousands of miles, out in the desert, where it's 70-75 degrees....
So yeah, you got a great deal in Misery...

 

In the US you can not do a blanket comparison to each state. Some states have a lower gas tax but raise money on the registration others go the other way. Often you hear why is gas cheaper in IN . Easy they put it on registration fees to keep gas tax down. They get their money just in different ways. Some state base registration on bikes value other do not.
Sales tax being a one time thing. Then you have CA. They have their own game they get you from every direction and keep picking your pockets.