Anybody Fight CA over Hailing Port/Tax BS?

[BandB]

Originally Posted by tomfl

With the current thread drift this thread could go on for a long time.

It's simple....the problem he's having with CA is a secret underground effort by the British to get revenge.

[OnTour]

Had the same thing happen. Purchased a boat in Florida with a San Diego hailing port and the boat had never been to California . I called and explained the situation and they told me to prove the boat was purchased and docked in Florida , I told them to prove it wasn't in Florida . I ignored the letters for a year or so and finally sent them my bill of sale and marina receipts . Haven't heard from them since.

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by OnTour

Had the same thing happen. Purchased a boat in Florida with a San Diego hailing port and the boat had never been to California . I called and explained the situation and they told me to prove the boat was purchased and docked in Florida , I told them to prove it wasn't in Florida . I ignored the letters for a year or so and finally sent them my bill of sale and marina receipts . Haven't heard from them since.

So sounds like you were about the same point I am now with them just starting to actually call instead of the silly: "You have 10 days!" letters?

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by dohenyboy

....................

The OP's attitude is understandable, but not rational. As a former California resident, I have been through this.............

Regardless of your Californian experience, I believe the OP is rational; at least from the evidence available on this thread.

Originally Posted by socaldmax

Thank God that all of these voices of reason weren't around 238 yrs ago.

Instead, a brave group of people with a lot at stake and a great deal of intestinal fortitude decided to change things for the better. Deep down, I wonder if it will ever happen again, or if we will all just meekly get herded into the chutes for shearing and slaughter.

Indeed!

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

...............
But I read the whole thing all the way through, and read his responses, which were very helpful, and indicated, while late, but quite clearly, that he DID DO what they wanted him to do and they kept hounding him.

I just don't understand why people hook into these conversations without reading the whole thing, but that may simply be the way of the internet webbie tubie thingie.

And then they pull the stunt about sending him an email form to snail mail back to them so they can email him.
............
Good luck to xym...

Yep, +1


Fascinating thread to an outsider from Downunder! Goes to show that bureaucracy is the same world over but it does seem to be on steroids in CA.

Good luck Matey and thanks for fighting the good fight against stupidly

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by dohenyboy

Actually, stock options, including out-of-the-money options, do have an intrinsic value and are required to be valued under Accounting Standards Codification 718 using the Black-Scholes model. Just wanted to point that out. In addition, in-the-money options have an obvious value-the excess of the fair market value over the strike price. As a result of ASC 718, issuing companies are required to expense stock options upon issuance (that is, deduct the value from their profits) and further required to update this valuation every quarter. So the value of a stock option could very well increase (or decrease) over time.

Intrinsic value to the company that issued the option grant, not the individual who holds the grant. Individuals use IRS rules not ASC.....

Try to use them in the margin account or as collateral for anything.

I know, thread drift...

[xymotic]

So just an update, I just got a "demand for immediate payment" For CA use tax of $6,118.97 for a boat purchased for $6000 in Wa.

4725 in tax and the rest in interest and penalties on tax I've never owed.

It's a beauty, the letter is dated 5/30 & says they will charge interest if the tax is not paid 5/31 and I just received it 8/9/14.

[Celestialsailor]

I went through a tax nightmare with Ca. on a previous boat I bought in NY., while I lived in Hawaii. I moved to Ca. and had the boat trucked there. They wanted sales tax money (8.75%), even though the boat was not purchased there. Since I own a house in ca. and ultimately would end up having that attached by those bandits and the fact I was out cruising while they were doing this, I paid it. But I protested it and was always asked for various dates and paperwork. Every-time I provided what they asked for, they wanted something else, then something else. I knew I was going to lose out unless I hired an lawyer and who wants to get involved in that crap shoot!
Because of there greed, I decided to leave my current boat out of country. We'll see how that works for them.

[markpierce]

I paid the California use tax (equivalent to a mid-priced automobile) on my China-built boat. Why shouldn't you? If you had documented a boat with a location without sales/use tax, it would have been more difficult for California tax collectors to track you down.

[SV THIRD DAY]

I am just counting down the days until I flip Califronia the middle finger and take my personal and business tax money out of the State. For every one net tax payer that leaves, at least 4 net tax takers arrive. Let's see the rocket scientists in Sacramento figure out that math!

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

I am just counting down the days until I flip Califronia the middle finger and take my personal and business tax money out of the State. For every one net tax payer that leaves, at least 4 net tax takers arrive. Let's see the rocket scientists in Sacramento figure out that math!

Yea and then you will move to a small town in Montana, get involved in local government, and try to make the small town into what you left in California. This happens time and time again across the west. Thanks!

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

Yea and then you will move to a small town in Montana, get involved in local government, and try to make the small town into what you left in California. This happens time and time again across the west. Thanks!

Not me amigo...this Tea Party Libertarian is being chased out of Cali...but I hear ya. Forget about the Southern Border, the other States need to put their troops on their border with California to keep the inmates in the asylum!
I'm running back to Mexico, at least there the Government doesn't have the resources to track and screw me...

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by markpierce

I paid the California use tax (equivalent to a mid-priced automobile) on my China-built boat. Why shouldn't you? If you had documented a boat with a location without sales/use tax, it would have been more difficult for California tax collectors to track you down.

Um, because my netherlands built boat is in Washington state and so am I?

Why the hell didn't you pay washington sales tax on your boat!?!?

[Sealaskan]

The sad part about this whole ordeal is that the part in the documentation that caught California's attention could have been easily verified by the person initially researching it in a very short time by just reading the whole documentation and by placing a query to Washington state. This matter would have been resolved without upsetting the OP and requiring him to furnish documentation that was already available publicly. Instead they sent demand letters which eventually turned into extortion. I recently applied for my permanent hunting and fishing license for the State of Alaska and because I don't apply for the permanent fund they wanted 2 pieces of supporting documentation of my residency and my drivers license wasn't allowed. This was difficult to produce since I have no phone, no utilities, no income, and no address. I did not personally know the clerk that I was dealing with but I told her that I knew people in her department that could verify my residency of over 50 years. I was informed that people could not be used to verify my residency and yet if I received the permanent fund, which is verified by people that know you, it would have been granted automatically. Sometimes verification requirements don't make any sense. Cu do's to the OP for standing up for what more of us should but most find it easier to be herded.

[brantleychuck]

So I live in California and own a boat in Florida. My first boat , which I just sold. I went throughout the calif. Tax thing. It took a couple of letter anda phone call but was resolved without handing any money to California. Florida requires boats staying I there waters to be registered with the state even if documented. You display there small sticker but no numbers. You pay sales tax to them as well.
Well just bought a new old boat in Florida and it took Cali about 40 days to get a letter to me after CG documentation was completed in my name with the Cali address. On the form it clearly states that you do not have to pay if boat is not in Cali. I called and spoke to a govt. worker and he explained that over the next year I would have to prove to there satisfaction that the boat was indeed not in Cali and would need documents to support that. The first supporting doc I sent was the invoice for the boat storage. Will see how it goes, I do not anti spate any problems. On a side note and completely off topic, so stop reading now if this annoys you

I grew up in so cal. Lived here all my life except for 15 years in LV. My parents left for the Midwest 12 years ago after being here 40 years. Did not want to live with the changes happening here. Ever increasing taxes, ever increasing liberal thinking crammed done ones throat. A state that does not resemble there values in the least. Liberal policy's being implemented while the state faces a financial future more bleak than Detroit's. The state income tax is overwhelmingly supplied by the very few at the higher income brackets. They regulate, restrict, implicate policy's with no thought to killing the golden goose that supplies them with cash. The next increase coming down the pike is a huge increase in the state gas tax. Passed during the terminators reign. It looks to be unlimited in the amount, starting around 40 cents a gallon. My guess is they will boil the pot more slowly than that so folks won't notice. It is based on some sort of carbon credit scheme. I have real estate here and am very close to retirement. Logically I can not see how the state will continue to function . The next down turn, and there always is one might be the tipping point, who knows. I just can't see risking my future and staying. I can not see how I can not cash out of Cali and take my money and leave for a state which is more financially stable. It's very very sad. This is my home

Chuck


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[BandB]

I never understood why a business would locate their major facilities or Corporate offices in NYC or California. Love NYC and I'm sure I'll love California but long long ago, well before I was born, their cost of living (and also salaries and income) got way out of line with the rest of the country. Toyota moving their US headquarters to Texas is very big. The cost of relocation including all the people they're paying to move is huge but they felt it was necessary.

It's a circular reference you can't resolve. More taxes because government costs more because you pay more because it costs more to live there. And you can't just change one piece without the others.

Now this also shows why they follow up so diligently on the boat issue. There is incentive for people to try to circumvent the law. There are certain situations like this throughout the country. Mississippi considers it a felony for someone who lives there to register and tag their car in another state. That's because an annual registration fee that would be $50 in their bordering states might be $700 there. That's how they collect an equivalent of property taxes.

When states came about, people didn't travel long distances like they do now. Might have gone to the adjacent state. But now it's complicated as mobile as we are for all states to have different laws. 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. Sales tax different in every state but also the items taxable. Some states better for living (income tax) and some for dying (estate tax). I think I mentioned a friend who had his boat registered in 4 states at one time, all required as he spent extended times cruising in the three in which he didn't live. There are also some states where car registration is an issue but not monitored as carefully it seems. Income tax rules differ in each state and that becomes complex when you live or earn or both in two or mroe states during a year and they have conflicting rules. I knew someone who was considered a full year resident by two different states, both wanting to tax his entire income.

The one thing though that I learned long ago is you can successfully win on situations such as this California one. It just may take a lot of time and effort. But the key thing I learned is you cannot win by ignoring them or partially ignoring by not responding to everything in the way they request. Should you have to prove your boat isn't somewhere? Perhaps not. But if you didn't then there would be a huge percentage of boats in California claiming to be elsewhere.

We have a complex situation. Boat purchased in Washington. Already documented (temporary document in hand) and registered in Florida. Will not be in Washington 60 days so ok there as 60 days is their magic number. Enter California in early October and leave around January 8. Note that we won't be with the boat during the holidays or on January 1. It will reach Sacramento county around December 7. We will leave it to fly home on the 15th. We are not legally subject to property taxes there in spite of what one might say. It must be regularly and routinely located there. Now, we won't be a bit surprised if they send us a tax bill. We have however already communicated and do have a written statement from the county that based on the facts it will not be subject to tax. Still, don't expect it to just slide through. We will be able to prove it was only in the county 30 days and only in the state 90 days, passing through.