Why stop there, why not tax cars and even clothes brought into the state for 20 days?

There was a movement afoot a few years ago to have truck drivers file and pay income taxes in every state that was driven in. Twenty states = twenty state income forms to be filed. And that would eventually apply to everyone. Fly to another state for business and you would have to figure out how much you made and file a tax form there. I haven't heard anything about this for a few years but I'm sure it will be back someday. Governments have a great appetite for money...more money...more money.

More class warfare. "They can afford it, they own airplanes!" Never mind what is fair or what is right.

Whamdangler is right, try this crap on middle and lower-class car owners, and see how it goes over.

There was a movement afoot a few years ago to have truck drivers file and pay income taxes in every state that was driven in.

Twenty years ago you'd see a lot of trucks with a dozen or more license plates because states didn't respect out of state registrations for commercial vehicles. States wanted fees and taxes paid locally. I think the feds made them share, maybe not reducing the tax burden but at least reducing the paperwork.

Twenty years ago you'd see a lot of trucks with a dozen or more license plates because states didn't respect out of state registrations for commercial vehicles

Yep, the feds stepped in. The front of semi trucks would sometimes have a dozen licence plates. Some times a state sticker on the door instead. Now just one licence plate for your home state and no door stickers. All states are on one permit that show which states are paid for. My company buys 48 states for all of our trucks even though we don't travel in all of them. There is a discount for doing that rather then pick and choose. States do have temporary permits for those that need them.

I'd have to ask my accountant, but I'm pretty sure that's not how use tax works.

This sounds like a Commerce Clause case.

Hope something about this crap winds up in the Supreme Court - - it would settle a lot of other similar issues.

Isn't there some law against double taxation? Wouldn't that apply here?

/not a tax expert, so I may be wrong...

LadyHawke911: Isn't there some law against double taxation? Wouldn't that apply here?

Yeah, and it's been so effective preventing double taxation on tobacco and alcohol.

LadyHawke911: Isn't there some law against double taxation? Wouldn't that apply here?

/not a tax expert, so I may be wrong...

Yeah. And the article says that one state is trying to collect a 5% use tax on aircraft purchased in states where no sales tax is applied to aircraft.

The twisted part is that they're trying to collect on people who the article suggests maintain no residence in Maine. Some of them have summer homes in Maine, which could make it legal. Others just took a lot of business trips.

Anyway, it's not as wacky as california's attempts to collect use tax on satellites that have never entered or even flown over the state of california even though they are owned by california businesses.

Wasn't a war fought somewhere a long time ago, due in part to excessive taxation?

Ha ha - suck it, plane owners

neomatt: Wasn't a war fought somewhere a long time ago, due in part to excessive taxation?

i believe it had more to do with taxation without representation.

submitter: If you own an airplane you may have to pay sales tax on the plane in every state you fly through

TFA: 5 percent use tax from people who did not pay sales taxes on their planes if they brought their plane to Maine for more than 20 days, excluding time for maintenance and alterations, in the first year of ownership


So if you did not pay sales tax on your plane and then park it in Maine for 20 days during the first year of ownership, they charge you. Not exactly just flying through is it?

Your flying cars are exempt.

/ oh, wait...

neomatt: Wasn't a war fought somewhere a long time ago, due in part to excessive taxation?

neomatt ref doubleplus ungood thoughtcrime. report minitru verify comments and report minilove.

We have always been at war with East Asia.

SilentStrider: neomatt: Wasn't a war fought somewhere a long time ago, due in part to excessive taxation?

i believe it had more to do with taxation without representation.

That's partly correct. There was also an issue of excessive taxiation, as well as arbitrary taxiation (aka 'theft').

Asa Phelps: Anyway, it's not as wacky as california's attempts to collect use tax on satellites that have never entered or even flown over the state of california even though they are owned by california businesses.

Actually, its even worse. It wasn't the state of California, it was the city of Los Angeles that was levying the tax. And if I remember right, they succeeded. I believe Hughes had to pay property tax on them.

Good thing I decided not to by that Gulfstream G-4.

Earguy: More class warfare. "They can afford it, they own airplanes!" Never mind what is fair or what is right.

Whamdangler is right, try this crap on middle and lower-class car owners, and see how it goes over.

Actually, my father owns an airplane (just slightly too heavy and slightly too fast to be an ultralight), and I know he certainly couldn't afford this.

Just because you own an airplane doesn't necessarily mean you are made of money. He does *ALL* the work on it himself, except for engine overhauls.

There are similar laws affecting boat registration.

Keep a boat in CT for more than 60 days in a year, and you have to pay a registration fee, even if the boat is registered in a different state.

Not awfully onerous - 60 days is a pretty big chunk of the usable boating season, and the fee isn't that great.

DandamanFL:
So if you did not pay sales tax on your plane and then park it in Maine for 20 days during the first year of ownership, they charge you. Not exactly just flying through is it?

It doesn't have to be 20 consecutive days. What if you flew there for the weekend 10 times?

This is the same crap they're pulling on boat owners, but with boats, it's more like 90 days.

Asa Phelps: Yeah. And the article says that one state is trying to collect a 5% use tax on aircraft purchased in states where no sales tax is applied to aircraft.

When I bought my truck in the county next to the one I live in, I paid the appropriate sales tax at the place of puchase. When I went to my county office to register my new truck, I was charged the difference in the sales tax here, and the sales tax I had already paid.

Of course, if the sales tax there had been higher, there damn sure wouldn't have been a refund of the difference. Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did ask.

Get used to it, as long as there are enough idiots out there that think of it as the governments money, rather than belonging to you, they will continue to come up with ways to take it away. Just look at the recent gift card issue in Maine.

zaz: Twenty years ago you'd see a lot of trucks with a dozen or more license plates because states didn't respect out of state registrations for commercial vehicles. States wanted fees and taxes paid locally. I think the feds made them share, maybe not reducing the tax burden but at least reducing the paperwork.

Hey, I remember that, and thank you for the explanation of what that was about and why it's not here now.

Luvs FARK!!!!

ShawnDoc: Asa Phelps: Anyway, it's not as wacky as california's attempts to collect use tax on satellites that have never entered or even flown over the state of california even though they are owned by california businesses.

Actually, its even worse. It wasn't the state of California, it was the city of Los Angeles that was levying the tax. And if I remember right, they succeeded. I believe Hughes had to pay property tax on them.

That's a *REAL* good way to kill the goose that lays golden eggs. You pull enough crap like that, businesses will flee to less hostile business climes. Then the city would have to screw the little guy even more to make up for the lost revenue*.


*Actually, it's always the individual worker that ends up paying all the taxes. You see, corporate income and property taxes are paid for by increasing the cost of goods and services and/or paying workers less than they would otherwise make. Companies are always going to attempt to make a good, or even obscene, profit. Adding a cost of doing business like taxes doesn't eat into that profit, it just makes the goods or services more expensive.

Whamdangler [TotalFark] Quote 2007-12-30 11:14:25 AM
Why stop there, why not tax cars and even clothes brought into the state for 20 days?


star_miner [TotalFark] Quote 2007-12-30 11:17:07 AM
There was a movement afoot a few years ago to have truck drivers file and pay income taxes in every state that was driven in. Twenty states = twenty state income forms to be filed. And that would eventually apply to everyone. Fly to another state for business and you would have to figure out how much you made and file a tax form there. I haven't heard anything about this for a few years but I'm sure it will be back someday. Governments have a great appetite for money...more money...more money.


Is it Indiana where you pay Sales Tax on your car Every year when you renew license tags?

Tax and Spend, Tax and Spend....DNC DNC DNC

-It sounds like the 'use tax' is 5% or whatever of the value of the aircraft? I's like a backdoor sales tax on a sale that wasn't made in that state! Of course, there are many MANY laws that are unenforced or laxly enforced that most people don't know about until it affects large numbers. What other time-bombs lie ticking in our state statutes? Hmmmmmm?

ShawnDoc: Asa Phelps: Anyway, it's not as wacky as california's attempts to collect use tax on satellites that have never entered or even flown over the state of california even though they are owned by california businesses.

Actually, its even worse. It wasn't the state of California, it was the city of Los Angeles that was levying the tax. And if I remember right, they succeeded. I believe Hughes had to pay property tax on them.

==========

Also, if I recall correctly, California was trying to (maybe they did?) tax sports players state income tax based on the % of games they played in California.

I have a house in California but moved to Texas as my primary residence in large part to not pay state income tax, though California still wants me to keep track of what % of my income is made while IN California. However, even though I spend about 1/2 my time in California, since I'm in sales and all my customers are in texas, all my income is made there.

Taxing cars passing through in ways other than simply buying fuel is a grand idea! If a plane flies over any part of your state, or even within 100 miles of your state, it should also be taxed. If a car is driven through a neighboring state it should be taxed as well for possible use of that states facilities.

Sounds like a great way to limit travel and increase revenue...

Ever increasing numbers of things taxed, however they are taxed, will eventually grow to everything being taxed by everyone.
And government just keeps on growin'!!

just fly over tEh states, not through them.
problem solved!

AuCinaoaMie: Taxing cars passing through in ways other than simply buying fuel is a grand idea! If a plane flies over any part of your state, or even within 100 miles of your state, it should also be taxed. If a car is driven through a neighboring state it should be taxed as well for possible use of that states facilities.

Sounds like a great way to limit travel and increase revenue...

You didn't pay much attention to the history of this country, did you? Every time the government increases taxes like this, you end up with smuggling and tax dodgers. past a certain point, citizens just start ignoring the law and start doing things without government oversight.

I don't think anyone here seems to know how a use tax works. The intent is that if somebody hasn't paid sales tax on something for some reason, then the state gets to assess a use tax. If the sales tax has been paid, then there's no use tax.

If I live in California and order something over the net from New York then ordinarily that company won't charge me sales tax. (They will do so if they have business operations in California, but that's a different matter.) In this case, I do owe California a use tax, equal to the amount of sales tax that I would have paid if I had purchased the item in California.

Similarly, if I ride a bus up to Oregon and buy a car there, where there is no sales tax, then move down to California, then I have to pay a use tax on the car that will be a lot of money. 8.75% of the value of the car, or whatever the sales tax rate is where I live in California.

I am not out any money that I wouldn't have been out anyway if I had purchased the item locally.

If the plane owner had paid sales tax on the plane, no use tax will be assessed by other jurisdictions.

Odd that they aren't levying these taxes on Corporate planes and the Airlines. Just the little people who own private planes.

I never have understood how use tax can be valid anyway. Regulating (and taxing) interstate commerce is supposed to be the sole job of the federal government.

what about commercial aircraft? delta got a problem here?

AntiNorm: I never have understood how use tax can be valid anyway. Regulating (and taxing) interstate commerce is supposed to be the sole job of the federal government.

I can't wait for a use tax on hybrid vehicles! Hey, they're not using as much gas, right? gotta keep revenue up some how!

Meh, They'll get over it.

You know what? If it were me, I'd just not fly to that state ever again. That's a heavy chunk of change, and it's not worth it. Then when the state loses the repeated tax revenue from the avgas sales, then eventually the local airports' usage numbers drop, and then federal funds to those airports drop due to low usage, and then corporate traffic drops due to lack of services/heavy taxes, maybe, just maybe these dumb ass money grubbing asshat tax collectors will figure they made an oopsie.

Every day I see one more thing that strengthens my resolve to expatriate as soon as I can afford it.

When the bill comes in just photocopy your middle finger, attach the copy to the bill and send it back in the envelope provided. You don't live in that stae so why do you care? No politician who expects to be reelected will support ANY law to allow another state to come in and take money that they can steal.

If the people who create these (and most other) taxes don't have sense enough to go slap their mothers for not raising them right and then hanging themselves, it's time for another revolution.

/plane owner
//never have, never will pay this tax

How would the "Go fark yourself. I'm never going to your shiatty state ever again, so shove that tax bill up your ass," option work in this case? Can they enforce the tax over state lines?

I have an airplane and I fly it to Maine so I'm really getting a kick out of this story.

//actually, I'm not getting that much of a kick.

icc ftw

dittybopper: That's a *REAL* good way to kill the goose that lays golden eggs. You pull enough crap like that, businesses will flee to less hostile business climes.

That's when you hit them with the thousand dollar "leaving town tax".

If a Municipality purchases a server farm, can they charge a fee for each e-mail that goes through it?

Just to get people thinking.

tetheredswimming: I don't think anyone here seems to know how a use tax works. The intent is that if somebody hasn't paid sales tax on something for some reason, then the state gets to assess a use tax. If the sales tax has been paid, then there's no use tax.

If I live in California and order something over the net from New York then ordinarily that company won't charge me sales tax. (They will do so if they have business operations in California, but that's a different matter.) In this case, I do owe California a use tax, equal to the amount of sales tax that I would have paid if I had purchased the item in California.

Similarly, if I ride a bus up to Oregon and buy a car there, where there is no sales tax, then move down to California, then I have to pay a use tax on the car that will be a lot of money. 8.75% of the value of the car, or whatever the sales tax rate is where I live in California.

I am not out any money that I wouldn't have been out anyway if I had purchased the item locally.

If the plane owner had paid sales tax on the plane, no use tax will be assessed by other jurisdictions.

You're missing the part where it says that these people don't live there. I live in Oregon (no sales tax). If I buy a plane, then go somewhere that does have a sales tax, I am NOT paying a tax on my plane. Maine is apparently forcing non-residents to do so if they are there for more than 20 days. As noted above, that is 10 weekend visits in a year, or visiting your family once a month for a weekend each time. Still sound fair?

I hope these plaintiffs are successful in overturning these excessive taxes. If state taxation agencies want to shake their snot-nose reputation, they need to stop acting like whiny kids in the Wal-mart isle demanding their toys.

I'm not a constitutional scholar, but I believe these excessive state taxes would violate the right of U.S. citizens to travel without restrictions between any state (Article 4, Section 2).

**Sigh** Yet another example of government overstepping its bounds. I think we're too far gone for any saving.