What is this DMV mystery fee?

Dear John: I recently renewed my car registration online.

I received the renewal, which was for two years, and a listing of the charges. The annual fee for my car is $33.25, which came to $66.50 for the two years.

The total charges, which are listed as “additional fees and charges” without explanation were $136.50 — an extra $70 over the registration fee.

I went to the local DMV office to inquire about this. One worker said she didn’t know, and a supervisor said she wasn’t sure but it must be taxes. But she didn’t know what taxes.

I hope you can give me a better explanation for these extra fees. D.M.

Dear D.M.: First, there’s the fee for living in upstate New York rather than in the big city. And then there’s the fee because they knew you would ask about the extra fee. And there’s a tax because they knew you’d reach out to this column.

There’s also the convenience fee for doing it online, which is not refundable just because you had to go to the DMV to ask about the online fees.

Seriously, I reached out to the DMV in Albany and was told “the registration fee can vary based on the weight of the vehicle. We would need more information to be able to answer your reader’s question.”

In short, your vehicle is probably too fat. NYS is worried that it might ruin its fine roads.

Hope that helps. New York is really a “pay-it-and-shut-up” state.