Tippah County Politicians Love Your Money
Why are taxes so high? Ask your county supervisor!
Car tags are expensive in Mississippi and Tippah County leads with the highest taxes in North Mississippi. The median household income in Tippah County is $51,141/year compared to $82,980 in Desoto County. But citizens of Tippah County pay almost 25% more for a car tag.
Your car tag cost is mostly driven by your county’s total millage. Same vehicle, same MSRP, same model year → higher millage = higher tag. Mississippi calculates the tax (ad valorem) on a car as 30% of MSRP (then reduced each year by a state depreciation schedule) multiplied by your local millage; there’s a statewide “legislative tag credit” that lowers the bill some, but it’s applied uniformly across the state so it doesn’t change the county-to-county ranking. Base state fees (registration/privilege) are small and don’t vary by county.
County-to-County comparison
Below is an apples-to-apples snapshot using current county millage totals. If you live inside a city, expect municipal mills (tax rate) to add on top (e.g., in DeSoto: Hernando ~40.76, Southaven ~46.78, Olive Branch ~38.50, Horn Lake ~50.00).
Example math (before the statewide tag credit and standard state fees): assessed value = 30% of MSRP = 0.30 × $35,000 = $10,500; gross tax (ad valorem) = $10,500 × (millage/1000).
What this means in plain English
Tippah County is one of the higher taxed counties in the region, so for the same car you’ll typically pay 25–33% more than in DeSoto or Tishomingo. Benton is the closest to Tippah (only 2% lower).
Inside-city residents in any county will see more taxes (city + school + county). Ripley, for example, adds 14.27 mills.
DeSoto recently cut county rates to blunt reassessment increases; that move also tends to reduce tag costs.
Don’t forget the small stuff (same statewide)
Everyone pays the same state fees on top (or alongside) the ad valorem tax: $14 registration for a new tag (or $12.75 renewal decal), plus a small privilege license fee (e.g., ~$15 for a car), title fee for new purchases, etc.
Those don’t make tags expensive—your local politicians do.