Buy a plate. Support the Arts…
SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES = THE ARTS
In Tennessee, a portion of funds from the purchase of certain Specialty License Plates benefit the Tennessee Arts Commission.
The Arts Commission, in turn, distributes the money to artists in the form of grants.
You don’t have to wait until your current tag expires.
Just take your old plate to the county clerk and swap it.
The clerk will prorate your tag fees.
The Breakdown: Arts Category Specialty License
Are available to all Tennessee residents.
Require an annual fee of $35; of that fee a portion is allocated to the Tennessee Arts Commission.
For an additional fee of $35 your specialty plate can be personalized between three and seven characters.
*County clerks charge an additional $1 fee for the issuance of a specialty plate. This makes the fee $36 for a specialty plate, $36 for a personalized plate, and $71 for a personalized specialty plate, plus the standard state registration fee and any wheel taxes imposed by local governments.
THE HISTORY
In 1998, the Tennessee General Assembly enacted legislation which provided that the income from the sales of all Specialty License Plates created after that point would be divided between the Arts Commission, the Sponsoring Non-Profit Organization featured on the plate, and the Highway Fund.
This created a special category of license plates known in the law as the “New Specialty Plates.” The 1998 law also included a formula for how revenue from the sale of a “New Specialty Plate” should be distributed. This is where the 50/40/10 breakdown comes into play: 50% to the Arts Commission. 40% to the sponsoring nonprofit. 10% to the Highway Fund.
If the tag purchased is an Arts Plate, the Tennessee Arts Commission receives 90% of the income from that plate.
The average Specialty Plate cost is $35.
“There are 15 states with a Specialty License Plate Program, Tennessee really stands out….
You get more than 3 times what California does from arts plates despite the size of California’s population.”
Kelly Barsdate
Chief program & planning officer
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
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