[JamesNoBrakes]

Arizona registration was crazy when I lived there.

Vehicle Registration Renewal (also available in Spanish)
Vehicle registration fees include a $4.50, $8.00, or $9.00 registration fee (depending on the type of vehicle); an air quality fee of $1.50; an air quality compliance fee of .25 (depending on the location the vehicle is being operated in); and a vehicle license tax (VLT) assessed in place of a personal property tax charged by other states. The VLT is based on an assessed value of 60% of the manufacturer's base retail price reduced by 16.25% for each year since the vehicle was first registered (15% before 8/1/98). Then, as of the Dec 1, 2000 reduction, the rate is calculated as $2.80 (new vehicles)/$2.89 (used vehicles) for each $100 of the assessed value.

For example, for a new vehicle that costs $25,000, and is registered for two years, the first year assessed value would be $15,000 and the VLT would be $420.00. The second year the assessed value would be $12,562.50 and the VLT would be $363.06. Other fees may apply when a vehicle is registered commercially.

A vehicle eligible for 2-Year or 5-year registration will only be assessed a one year registration fee and a one year air quality compliance fee that covers the entire registration period.

Note: Fees may vary based upon exemption qualifications

So lets just say 50K, 60% is 30K/100*2.8=$840.

Yes, it's not just California. Arizona also gets you with sales taxes, fairly steep.

Then there's property tax in Texas, and so on.

People seem to always pick and choose in this game. Yes, some are worse than others, there are also fantastic places to live in CA besides the Bay Area and Los Angeles, although those are the only two places that people tend to think of, just like everyone thinks AZ is only Phoenix and WA only Seattle. If you really want to have a discussion about taxes, you gotta really consider what each state does. You aren't "making out" just because you don't pay income taxes in one state or expensive registration in another.