Anybody Fight CA over Hailing Port/Tax BS?

[dannc]

Originally Posted by brantleychuck

...

My guess is they will boil the pot more slowly than that so folks won't notice. ....
Chuck

I think the boiling pot as been noticed.

There was a report in the Wall Street Journal a year or so ago about a demographer's research at one of the southern CA universities. What it boiled down too, pun intended, , was that the middle class is being squeezed out of CA. The middle class is leaving CA and moving to other states. The remaining CA population will be either rich or poor. There will be no middle. This will not be sustainable over time.

You can see this in other states as well though I don't know if it is as pronounced as it is in CA. The southern states are filling up as people flee the high tax and high cost of living states up Nawth.

Later,
Dan

[hellosailor]

Bandb-
"I talked one day to an old timer who talked about having to remove his CB in Virginia (had law against them)"
Someone is confused. Virginia never had a law against CB's, they fall under federal jurisdiction only. Virginia and CT both had laws against radar detectors, and someone took CT to court over 20 years ago and eventually the US Supreme Court said something like "this is a radio receiver subject solely to the jurisidiction of the FCC, your law is null and void and you'd better drop it". Which CT did, but somehow Virginia still missed the news and still prohibits them. I suppose someone would have to take Virginia to court to enforce the same change for the same reason.

And next state over in MaryLand, they have three school zones in industrial areas where there are no schools OR residential housing. This was done because they are allowed to double speeding fines in school zones, and somehow, they aren't required to have schools in school ones.

Just goes to show that governments, states, legislators, law-writers, can all be wrong, and even KNOW they are being wrong, and the laws still bite unless you get them thrown out. I'd be afraid to drink the water in Cali it seems to encourage these things.

[Jammer Six]

Originally Posted by BandB

I talked one day to an old timer who talked about having to remove his CB in Virginia (had law against them) and getting ticketed for turning right on red in Maryland (last state to allow it) on one trip from NC.

You can turn right on a red in Washington. I hope the rest of your information is more accurate than this statement.

Businesses locate in states for business specific reasons, and sometimes for social reasons. Each reason is specific to the decision maker. If you're not that decision maker, it follows that you wouldn't be aware of the reason. I once cut my prices to get a job so I could see a particular woman every day. You run the business, you get to make the decision based on any criteria you see fit.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

You can turn right on a red in Washington. I hope the rest of your information is more accurate than this statement.

Did you mean to say "Can't" or what. I certainly didn't say you couldn't. I said Maryland was the last state to allow it meaning all 50 do.

My information says unless otherwise marked you can turn right on red, after a complete stop, in every state. There are some towns that don't allow it.

[Jammer Six]

Okay. Our system of justice doesn't spell out what you can do. It spells out what you can't do. So I read the statement "...the last state to allow it." to say that they were the last state to outlaw it.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

Okay. Our system of justice doesn't spell out what you can do. It spells out what you can't do. So I read the statement "...the last state to allow it." to say that they were the last state to outlaw it.

So maybe your attempt to be insulting wasn't so well advised.

[SURV69]

dope to a dope addict = money to a politician

I'm sure that the thought of losing money ... or NOT getting more citizen's money is enough to make most politicians go into shakes and a cold sweat.

On the other hand I'm willing to bet that a politician expecting more of the citizenry's hard earned money is more orgasmic to a politician than sex.

[Jammer Six]

Originally Posted by BandB

So maybe your attempt to be insulting wasn't so well advised.

I suppose you're right about that. There were so many avenues available at the time that I became confused, and chose a poor one.

[IdoraKeeper]

The franchise board in California is aggressive. I truly appreciate the state, so do millions of other people. Too many people always creates problems. Taxes are high, fees are high because expenses are high. I would not want to keep a boat or an aircraft there. But if your an individual who does you will pay for the privilege. As we have seen, if you document your vessel with a California home port, even if the boat never ever is present there, you get to pay for the mistake. Its a fantastic place if you are wealthy, a rather different experience if you are not.

[brantleychuck]

Talked to previous owner of boat I bought in Florida and will stay in Florida. He told me California sent him a form asking all kinds of questions about the boat I bought, price etc. he asked me what I wanted him to do with it. I said take a sharpie and write " **" on it. He politely declined and said it did not say anywhere on the form that he was obligated to fill it out and return so he would file it. Still currently working with the socialist state of Cali on " proving" boat will not be used in California.


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[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by dannc

I think the boiling pot as been noticed.

There was a report in the Wall Street Journal a year or so ago about a demographer's research at one of the southern CA universities. What it boiled down too, pun intended, , was that the middle class is being squeezed out of CA. The middle class is leaving CA and moving to other states. The remaining CA population will be either rich or poor. There will be no middle. This will not be sustainable over time.

You can see this in other states as well though I don't know if it is as pronounced as it is in CA. The southern states are filling up as people flee the high tax and high cost of living states up Nawth.

Later,
Dan

This has been a general trend applicable to the whole country since early 1970s. Only as usual California is the leader of the national trends.

[valhalla360]

Wow, this is a long thread for a really silly complaint.

Bottom line regardless of if you can legally put down the planet Pluto as your hailing port, the OP put down a location that most reasonable people would assume implies the boat is or was under CA jurisdiction for taxing purposes and posted it to an open public govt site. Enough people make false claims regarding taxes that they pursue it and they found reasonable evidence that he might be doing the same. At that point, the burden is on him to prove that it was just a joke and neither he nor the boat have a connection to CA that would trigger a taxable event. In these types of situaitons, the court looks at what is "reasonable" and it is very reasonable to assume that if you put the hailing port down as CA, then the boat is likley connected in some way to CA.

After that it sure sounds like rather than taking a pleasant sweet approach to getting it straightened out, he got an attitude. Technically, it shouldn't matter but try responding with, "what do you want, pig" when you get pulled over some time. I'll give you 1000-1 odds, you walk away with at least 1 ticket regardless of what you did or did not do. Same situation here. Sounds like you got the tax collector riled up, so they have little interest in helping you.

At this point, you need to get on the phone with an actual person and very nicely and very pleasantly explain your situaiton and ask them how to straighten it out (even if they get snotty, be nice). Be very appologetic for creating the situation and hopefully, they can tell you what proof will suffice.

I know it's fun to get all righteous and indignat but reality is this is the best approach.

[hellosailor]

chuck,
How would Cali even know the name or address of the PO of the boat you just bought, presumably after you sold your other boat last month, both transactions in Florida with presumably Florida-registered vessels?

Or did you buy a boat from someone else who had previously registered it in Cali?

If I buy and register a "motor vehicle" someplace, no one else knows about it except that registry in the venue. And if it is a documented vessel, it is still only the documented home port address that normally gives any venue jurisdiction or interest over the sale.

I don't see any reason Cali would have contacted the seller here, much less known there was a sale. What aren't you saying?

[s/v Beth]

Originally Posted by dannc

I think the boiling pot as been noticed.

There was a report in the Wall Street Journal a year or so ago about a demographer's research at one of the southern CA universities. What it boiled down too, pun intended, , was that the middle class is being squeezed out of CA. The middle class is leaving CA and moving to other states. The remaining CA population will be either rich or poor. There will be no middle. This will not be sustainable over time.

You can see this in other states as well though I don't know if it is as pronounced as it is in CA. The southern states are filling up as people flee the high tax and high cost of living states up Nawth.

Later,
Dan

Keep your boat in Oregon. Tax free, great folks.

[brantleychuck]

Not sure what you are implying by "what aren't you saying" I hope it's not something negative?.
Both times that I have bought a boat in Florida that was going to stay in Florida , California sent notices to my house in California asking for money.
The first time was resolved, After many letters and finally a couple of phone calls. That was 8 years ago or so. I bought my new old boat about 6 months ago . California sent a form asking for money. The form states it may take a year for me to " prove" that the boat is not going to be used in California.
Since the only paperwork I have done so far is the USCG Documentation on my last purchase I would say California is mining the CG data base. Since I live in California, the address on the CG DOC is in California , that's how the know to ask me for tax money.
My last post was to inform folks that in addition to California tracking me down via the CG. . They are also contacting out of state sellers and asking for information. My guess is that they are getting the previous owners mailing address from the CG as well. Chuck


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