Date:         Tue, 8 Aug 2000 22:43:13 PDT
Reply-To:     Mark Dorm <mark_hb@hotmail.com>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Dorm <mark_hb@hotmail.com>
Subject:      Re: RV Registration (Was Fw: Alcohol Consmption In Westies!
              (longish)
Comments: To: djs@gene.com
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

If you sold used donuts California would want a tax on it. And if you paid
any sales tax out of state they would determine the difference and you would
have to pay that to the State of California, if you paid no sales tax to
another state then you'll pay the full value to California, and as far as
late on registration goes, its counted from the day you bring the vehicle
into the state, so if you open your mouth without thinking first at the DMV
its, "gotch!"


>From: Daniel Schmitz <djs@gene.com>
>Reply-To: Daniel Schmitz <djs@gene.com>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: RV Registration (Was  Fw: Alcohol Consmption In Westies!
>        (longish)
>Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 16:35:06 -0700
>
>Brent,
>
>I think the Use Tax is actually just a sales tax that is collected whenever
>a
>vehicle changes ownership via a financial transaction.
>
>But it begs an important and nagging question: What interest or right does
>California have in collecting a sales tax on a used car purchase between
>private
>parties? On vehicles which are bought and resold within the state, sales
>tax was
>paid at the time of original purchase. To charge sales tax each time a
>vehicle
>changes hands seems to me to be redundant, if not double-dipping. But I'm
>sure
>many on this list are aware of having to ante up an amount equal to some
>percentage of their purchase price and hand it over to their DMV. I know
>many
>people usually agree with the buyer to a lesser purchase price on paper for
>the
>sole purpose of reducing this tax, and I have done this myself in the past.
>
>On used vehicles purchased outside the state, such as my Westfalia
>purchased in
>Colorado, someone else may or may not have paid that state's sales tax in
>the
>original purchase, depending on Colorado's tax system. Again, of what
>interest
>is it to California to collect a sales tax from one of its residents just
>because that resident purchased a vehicle outside the state?
>
>This has nothing to do with the recently rescinded California "Smog
>Transfer
>Fee" or whatever it was called. I believe that gem was finally deemed
>unconstitutional.
>
>What else do we have to pay sales tax on (repeatedly) besides used
>vehicles?
>
>Sorry for possibly starting another endless thread on the evils of
>taxation.
>This and the traffic in the SF Bay Area make me consider moving to another
>state. Like Colorado.
>
>(But we do have great weather, although summer in San Francisco can be like
>winter in Minnesota)
>
>Dan
>
>
>
>Brent Christensen wrote:
>
> > That sounds EXACTLY like my story.  (I was over a year over due, but my
> > registration was current the whole time)  The buggers!
> >
> > Brent
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Daniel Schmitz" <djs@gene.com>
> > To: "Brent Christensen" <brent@vanagon.com>
> > Sent: Monday, July 24, 2000 10:30 PM
> > Subject: Re: RV Registration (Was Fw: Alcohol Consmption In Westies!
> > (longish)
> >
> > > Brent,
> > >
> > > Virtually no difference, from what I can tell, but that's how they
> > classify it.
> > >
> > > I also had to pay just over $1000 to register my '87 Westfalia. The
>bulk
> > of
> > > that amount was the Use Tax due on the $8500 purchase price. The rest
>was
> > reg
> > > fees and penalties due to me being over 30 days delinquent in
>registering
> > the
> > > van after I purchased it. I think the portion of the total fee that is
> > actually
> > > the registration may be have been a few dollars less due to being an
>"RV"
> > vs a
> > > passenger car, from what the DMV person said, but it's not much of a
> > > difference.
> > >
> > > Dan
> > >
> > > Brent Christensen wrote:
> > >
> > > > Dan:
> > > >
> > > > What difference did it make in classifying the vehicle as an RV?  I
>just
> > > > registered my Syncro and it cost me damned near $1,000 with the "use
> > taxes"
> > > > and such...
> > > >
> > > > Brent Christensen
> > > > '89 GL Syncro Westy "Klaus"
> > > > Santa Barbara, CA
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "Daniel Schmitz" <djs@gene.com>
> > > > To: "Brent Christensen" <brent@vanagon.com>
> > > > Cc: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > > > Sent: Monday, July 24, 2000 2:24 PM
> > > > Subject: Re: [VANAGON] Fw: Alcohol Consmption In Westies! (longish)
> > > >
> > > > ---snip...
> > > >
> > > > > When I registered my Colorado-purchased Westfalia here in
>California,
> > the
> > > > DMV
> > > > > required me to bring it in to verify the VIN and inspect the
>vehicle.
> > At
> > > > that
> > > > > time, they noted that because it includes a bed, stove and fridge,
>it
> > > > meets the
> > > > > basic definition of an RV, rather than a passenger vehicle. Of
>course,
> > > > it's
> > > > > simply a passenger vehicle with a bed, stove and fridge, but the
>DMV
> > > > classifies
> > > > > as an RV for registration purposes.
> > > > >
> > > > > Those better informed or having a differing opinion may now
>commence
> > > > > disagreeing.
> > > > >
> > > > > Dan
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > >
>
>--
>Dan
>__________________________________________________
>Dan Schmitz - Genentech Automation Engineering
>djs@gene.com (650) 225-6119
>__________________________________________________
>
>"I'll so offend to make offense a skill
>Redeeming time when men least think I will"
>
>W. Shakespeare
>Henry IV, Part 1

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