Texans who buy personalized license plates have put $100 million into state tax rolls
Texas motorists have bought nearly 500,000 specialty license plates since 2009, which generated about $100 million for the state’s general revenue fund, officials from the state’s plate vendor said.
The vendor is My Plates now sells 450 variations of specialty plates on behalf of the state. Many of the plates feature the logos of colleges charities and scholarships, many of which benefit from a portion of the money spent on the plates.
Plates start at $30 a year — on top of the taxes all other car owners without specialty plates pay — and additional personalization can be included for $40 a year and up. Some military plates and others available without charge to a limited number of Texans also can be ordered on the site.
A purple TCU plate with the Horned Frogs logo is perennially among the top-selling college plates in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Texas A&M’s plate also is a huge seller.
“We’re very pleased with the success of the program to date, all thanks to the many Texans that have embraced and supported this program and we look forward to delivering continued success for the State of Texas,” Steve Farrar, My Plates president, said in an email.
In 2016, a Colorado Buffaloes license plate was the top-selling plate in the state for about six months after its initial release, surprising many Metroplex residents who didn’t realize there were so many Buffs fans among them.
Statewide, a Dallas Cowboys plate is usually at the top of the list of best sellers.
But there are many popular plates beyond the sports offerings. For those who buy a plate with a pink ribbon on it, a portion of the proceeds goes to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
There’s also an “Animal Friendly” plate that features a drawing of family pets against a blue background. That plate costs $30 a year, and $22 of that funding goes to the Texas Department of State Health Services, which offers grants to organizations that sterilize animals.
Although car owners can choose pretty much any message they want on the specialty license plates, a panel of state employees reviews each plate request to ensure the monikers are in good taste. Specialty plates that have been rejected in the past include “WHO FRTD,” “YER MOM” and “PASTGAS.”
All of the state’s specialty plates have been consolidated to the My Plates website. Previously, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles website offered some of the plates, while My Plates offered another selection, but those options have now been consolidated into one website.
