Michigan Ex-Prisoner of War, Medal of Honor and Other Military Plates

Section 257.803e carries most of Michigan's military plates and 257.217d carries the Medal of Honor plate. The distinctions between them are all about money. The ex-prisoner of war plate. A person who was a prisoner of war, or a person whose spouse was a prisoner of war, may apply for a plate inscribed "EX-POW". One person in any household is entitled to one such plate exempt from the registration tax in section 801. A second ex-POW plate to the same person is taxed. Note the spouse limb: the spouse of a former prisoner of war holds the plate in their own right, which is unusual. The other plates in 803e. World War I veteran, Pearl Harbor survivor, Purple Heart Medal recipient, Gold Star Family member and Blue Star Family member plates are all issued under the same section, and 803e(6) says in terms that a person issued one or more plates under subsections (2), (3), (4), (9) or (10) must be assessed the applicable registration tax. So the Purple Heart plate, the Gold Star plate and the Blue Star plate carry no tax exemption at all. Only the ex-POW plate does. The Medal of Honor plate. Section 257.217d directs the Secretary of State to design and permits it to issue a special Congressional Medal of Honor plate to a Michigan resident awarded the medal. It is issued for only one vehicle intended for personal use, and the holder is entitled to one plate exempt from the registration tax. No service fee on any of them. An application under 803e or 217d must not require a service fee under section 804, and neither must a renewal, and the applicant does not have to furnish the proof again on renewal. The wheelchair tab. A person who is disabled and applies for a plate under 803e must be issued a tab for persons with disabilities as provided in 803f, on the same proof required for a permanent windshield placard. Where these plates do more than decorate. Section 324.74116(c) exempts a vehicle registered under 257.217d, or registered under 803e(1) and exempt from the registration tax under 803e(6), from the Recreation Passport requirement, which is free entry to Michigan state parks and recreation areas. The cross-reference is narrow and deliberate: only the ex-POW plate and the Medal of Honor plate are inside it. A Purple Heart plate does not carry park entry, and a Gold Star plate does not either. The practical reading for a Michigan veteran choosing a plate. If a veteran qualifies both as an ex-prisoner of war and as a disabled veteran, the two plates are not equivalent even though both waive the registration tax, because the DV plate also carries the disability parking tab and the ex-POW plate does not unless the holder separately qualifies. If a veteran qualifies for a Purple Heart plate and a DV plate, only the DV plate carries the tax exemption and the park entry.