Why is South Dakota making it so hard (and expensive) to give them our money?

To the Citizens of South Dakota and the Department of Revenue:

I have just completed the annual ritual of vehicle registration, and I am left with one question: In 2026, why is this process still designed to be as tedious and frustrating as possible?

Last year, we were told that new software was coming. Like many of you, I was hopeful. Technology is supposed to streamline government, reduce “red tape,” and save the taxpayer time. Instead, the “new” software, 605Drive, is just as convoluted and complex as the old system. It is a masterclass in bad user interface design.

But the frustration doesn’t stop at the software. This year, my bill was over $1,000. When I went to pay online, I was hit with a “transaction fee” of nearly $30. When a citizen is already handing over a thousand dollars to the state, being charged an additional 3% just for the “privilege” of using a modern payment method is insulting.

I looked into the alternatives. We can “mail it in,” but even that isn’t free. There is a $1.50 charge per car just to process a check through the mail.

This raises several serious questions that deserve answers:

1. What is the justification for a $1.50 “mail-in” fee? If a citizen is doing the work of writing a check, providing an envelope, and paying for their own postage, what exactly is the state’s cost that justifies a per-car surcharge?
2. Who is profiting? When software is intentionally “tedious” and fees are this high, it usually points to one of two things: either the third-party vendor managing the software is skimming a massive profit on transaction fees, or the system is being kept difficult on purpose.
3. Is this a “push” tactic? Is the goal to make the digital and mail-in options so miserable and expensive that we are forced to drive to the courthouse to pay in person? If so, why are we wasting taxpayer money on “new” software that isn’t intended to work?

In a state that prides itself on being “business-friendly” and efficient, our vehicle registration system is a glaring exception. It shouldn’t be this hard, and it certainly shouldn’t be this expensive, to simply follow the law and register our cars.

We deserve a system that values our time and doesn’t treat every transaction as an opportunity to tack on another fee.

A Concerned South Dakota Taxpayer