Ted,
In my opinion, there is a legal challenge here waiting for
the right lawyer. A secret value tax on property that bears no resemblance to
its actual value sounds illegal to me. You might plant the idea in some lawyer’s
head that if these millions were collected illegally, he might get to keep a
third of the refunds as his fee.
If the old car fraternity is
tired of being a "cash cow", it is time to organize a revolt. Somebody
in NC should collect all the car clubs in the state together into a club for
car clubs. The goal of the “NC Car Club Association” would be to organize
non-conflicting dates for shows and to contribute to a fund to provide a part
time lobbyist in the legislature. If you can collect enough bodies with one
voice, they will be heard. If no legislators want to listen, let them know your
group will be actively campaigning AGAINST them. They are taking money out of
your pocket, so why not take money out of theirs?
In Minnesota, we do have a car club
association for organizing events. There are about 100 clubs in the
association. The MN Street Rod Association (MSRA) (one club) has 10,000 members
and their own lobbyist. Annual license fees for new cars are about $300, but
this drops yearly to a bottom of $50. Through the efforts of the MSRA, any car
over 20 years old can be registered as a classic for $25, with no annual fees
of any kind forever. They got other items allowed, such as registering license
plates from the year the car was manufactured, and a flat $90 sales tax on sold
collector vehicles (even if it is worth 1 million). They also got emissions testing
eliminated for all cars by providing data of its ineffectiveness!
Dave Homstad
56 Dodge D500
-----Original
Message-----
From: Cebuisle2@xxxxxxx
[mailto:Cebuisle2@xxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2006
10:06 AM
To: L-forwardlook@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: old car taxes?
I
appreciate Roger's problems with California's taxes. Lived there myself years
ago'
Here in
North Carolina they have a different swindle going. The car is valued according
to a "value book " that no one ever sees. It apparently is kept in
Raleigh. No other value books are allowed. This book rates cars as
"restored" so you pay a tax based on their assessment of
a number one vehicle. It doesn't matter that your car is a parts vehicle that
will never run, or like mine, is just a Saturday night driver to the local
Sonic complete with rust spots.
In
addition to the yearly tax there is of course the annual license fee, same as
all other cars.
You
don't have to license a parts car, but still must pay the annual tax. This
results in the guy with a rusted out old car out back junking the car
rather than paying an annual tax on it.
The
wrecking yard owners love this set up, as they can then sell parts from it
after the county orders it confiscated for non payment of the tax, or other
"unsightly" issues.
Roger
mentions that politicians rate lower than used car salesmen. Remember, the vast
majority of politicians are lawyers, and on surveys they rate under used car
salesmen also-
The old
car fraternity is regarded as a "cash cow" by the politicians, and
worse by your next door neighbor. Only by uniting as a political action group
can we secure protection from the buzzards. But by nature-old car enthusiasts
are reluctant joiners-
Been there--- Ted
55 Imperial sedan
56 Dodge Royal sedan
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network