Don’t forget that registration fees also help pay for roads at a state level. Your $39 bucks for a car is a drop in the bucket, but the average tractor trailer registration is 1500-2000 bucks a years. Further, I think the articles numbers are low from what I’ve seen. Federal tax is more like 40 cents...
NC has one of the higher gas taxes in the country. We pay a yearly registration fee, inspection fee and personal property tax on the car.