Will this activity create a new business for you?
Oh the shock, oh the Horror of it all! I’ve actually heard people say they’d leave the country. Personally, I’m beginning to think that Washington DC is making every effort to take business away from Hollywood, I mean who needs a movie to watch when the daily and nightly news is so entertaining?
Here in the Seattle area, we have something very interesting going on, it’s our Sound Transit Authority who was given far more authority via the ballot box. It’s all about rails, and building a train, a system I’ll never use because I won’t live long enough to see it, but of course I’ll pay the full measure of taxes.
Here south of Seattle, my property taxes are far more than the monthly payments including home owners insurance were, and I’m glad I did pay off my Mortgage as it would be difficult to tender it all today as a retired guy, but it’s even higher now with ST3 passing.
Let me zoom in on what counties in and around Puget Sound are up too. The Voters granted Authority to our Sound Transit to levy a tax on car tabs, but to the surprise of many, they have had a different way of valuing cars, and that is to claim they’re worth far more than what you paid for them in many cases. I think the worst case might be seen in three-year old luxury cars, the original owners dump them at three years, because it’s just not cool to have that old of car. Those who buy them get all that luxury at a modest price because the supply of these cars during good times is quite high.
So let’s say you bought a car that listed new at $110.000 and you paid $42,000 for it. Our transit authority was granted authority to assess value with their own formula, and that in some cases has been to use the new list price. So our value shopper goes to buy new tabs for his present car, and is ordered to pay an additional 1.1 percent of >their< valuation. In the case of our well equipped but out of style AMG Mercedes V12, that might be an additional $1500.00 or more. For those on a fixed income, there’s an additional surprise, as your property tax is now higher as well. And if you have a vacant lot that is classified as unsuitable for building , don’t expect that they spared you the tax even though it doesn’t add to a traffic problem.
But why do I share this? Because all we need do is turn to the past to see how the public responded to a similar event where they choose to punish you more if you are the Ant, and where they plan on giving you a free ride if you are the grasshopper. And of course, if you are an illegal grasshopper, Seattle will even invite you in and allow you to pitch a tent!
So back to making money? Well maybe we touch on the British Window Tax first. Their Lords and learned men decided that a man who could afford large windows in his home need pay a far higher tax. Soon, there were jobs, and plenty of them for those who specialized in removing big windows, and fitting small ones. As as you could imagine, their were craftsmen busy making new doors full of glass.
Seattle isn’t a creative city, almost nothing the Government does here is new, so we know the new opportunity here is NOT unique. Remember the Toyota Tacoma? It was a popular small pickup, it sold quite well here, now we need a Chevy Seattle!
The Chevy Seattle is sold as a stripper, it’s even radio delete! It’s the perfect hot rod for some, as it’s the lightest car you can buy and it saves you hours of work tossing out the heater, radio, AC, insulation, window crank motors, trim, and more. Of course it’s rear wheel drive, and a bit like the original Datsun 510.
Now don’t worry, every amenity you could dream of is at your dealer, and since there will be a decent demand for used parts, you’ll shop on ebay. So you’re thinking, how do I get a part of this action? I think there will be a segment of the population here that WILL buy pre ruined cars, cars with branded titles will cost far less to register each year, and if you take a ball peen hammer to every inch of that Mercedes, it’ll retain all of the luxury, but likely be classified as a rolling total. Tod Bjorkman is perhaps one of the better researchers I know, when I mentioned dimpling a car, Tod quickly researched the idea, and found someone who took the golf ball idea and applied it to a car claimed notable better mileage!
Now… there’s that rolling total in Rapid City, everything works fine, but there’s a gash from the front head light to the rear bumper, could you buy it and put it in the paper? allow a family headed to Seattle on vacation a small fee to drive it there? will there be a new car lot called rolling totals? Another one called drive a dent?
all I’m suggesting is the Puget Sound Basin is going to become the home of JUNKER cars. Now don’t worry about emissions, as the car only needs pass ODB2 scan, and I’d also imagine that Seattle will become the dumping ground for cars with these problems if they can be valuated CHEAPER.
Our law makers in Olympia recently throttled back some of the insane valuations ST3 has made, but it’s still high, and Washington State itself wants a pound of your flesh when you buy a new car as well, sales tax here is nearly 10 percent, and they insist you pay the high blue book price unless you have the proper documentation.
So to close, if you are to sell cars in Seattle, I’d advise you to advertise the lower price your customer will pay for his license tabs EVERY year. You got the idea, what will stop a used car lot from selling a car minus a lot of easily removed parts? Who needs a back seat to go to work? And does the law require you have a trunk lid and hood?
George B.
George did you find any info about rebuilt titles having a lower tax rate or depreciation value? Last I checked this week I saw no mention of rebuilt = anything. As I understand it they use the MSRP provided by the manufacture and general reporting of sales prices as new. From this MSRP they leverage the % of value your car has depreciation as they call it. Example being a 3 year car having value of 89% still…. Oh and if you want to see what your tax will be you need 2 of the following to look it up, Vin, plate, or owners name
But I like the idea of manufacturing a car with 4 wheels, doors for an epic low MSRP. Then have optional add-ons like passenger seats, upgraded drivers seat, Power stuff. Build it like Legos.
Dave, there’s been outrage over this, and I believe state law makers are still attempting to add some sanity to the process, I mentioned rebuilt titles, because it can severely affect values in a sane environment. I do think our lawmakers will rein in some of this. IF you go to Wa Dept of revenue on line, goto forms, pick letter V, you’ll find a form that is an agreement between the buyer and seller as per the value. What knowing people do is attach a detailed list to support the lower valuation. When this is a reasonable list, it’s normally accepted when you apply for title, and they collect sales tax based on the sales price. If you show up with a bill of sale with the same documentation, it will likely be rejected IF the price is below high blue book… this is my experience, and the experience of friends, but I don’t have information on hundreds of transactions, so I assume what I know about is typical.
I think there will be law suits unless realistic valuations are adopted, I guess we’ll see… there’s been plenty in the news, I should add some links…but we do know that cherry old cars might go for a good price here.
They reap what they sow, these intellectual idiots.
Too many politicians are coming up with creative ways to collect more money rather then using that creativity to reduce costs.
Taking away a persons incentive to achieve is not a good thing. There is a reason you aren’t supposed to feed the animals in parks.
Apparently many have forgotten, or were never taught, why we cut our ties to Mother England in the first place. There will be a point when people say enough is enough. I think the last election proved that people are close to that point.
Recently someone asked me if I owned my own home. For some reason it took me by surprise and I hesitated. I told him well my mortgage is paid off but I don’t actually own my home, I lease it from the county. He looked at me with a puzzled look and said – “huh?” I explained that every year I have to pay a lease, often called property tax, and if I don’t pay it I will be evicted. All he did was frown and stood motionless in silence.
Democrats know that the animals in the park can be persuaded to vote for them. Seattle is at the top of the game, Seattle Politicians actively recruit the homeless from around the world, and then attempt to convince the local electorate that it is “Seattle’s Homeless” they need take care of via another tax 🙂
Free Drugs, and in some cases free housing, discarded needles in the parks, graffiti all over town, and I think Seattle liberals feel nothing but pride in luring these rats to their city.
It’s bad enough that we have a Sanctuary city Mayor, but we have a Governor who wants to run a sanctuary state.
George, your “Free Drugs” comment in the reply to John Gillen reminded me of a column I read yesterday by Dennis Prager. He has a lot to say about the same kind of addiction you seem to be referring to.
I’m glad to see you’re back. Have a great day.
“All addictions — whether to drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex or cigarettes — are very hard to escape. There is one addiction, however, that may be more difficult than any other to escape, in part because it is not even regarded as an addiction. It is the entitlements addiction, the addiction to getting something for nothing.
The Democratic Party should literally be regarded as a drug dealer. Virtually every American given a free benefit becomes an addict who relies more and more on his dealer, which is exactly what the left seeks.
Since entitlements are not regarded as an addiction, few addicts see themselves as addicted. Why, then, would any of them seek treatment? To the entitlement addict, receiving entitlements is as natural and uncontroversial as breathing air. Air is free, and so are entitlements.
Not only do these addicts believe there is moral virtue to their addiction but so do a vast number of non-addicts known as progressives. They believe that there is a moral imperative to give people more and more entitlements. This, in turn, feeds the moral self-image of those dependent on entitlements.
In fact, the current U.S. national debt is about equal to the reported $22 trillion this country has spent on entitlement programs in the last 50 years.”
Read more at: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0317/prager032117.php3
Washington State is like other States that have a tail that wags the whole dog. If you get more than a few miles outside the major cites, near everyone thinks like a Harold Madison, and I think that’s a good thing.
The people of Seattle think Homeless camps and all the new graffiti is trendy? I think they are ignorant of what they are creating, but I don’t think organized crime has overlooked the fact that the Seattle City Council, and many of the Citizens have a childlike innocence. No doubt they’re an easy mark.
Does it help to visit places so bad that you leave alive only because someone allows it? I think the people of Seattle see only two states, you either have your childlike innocence in tact, or you’re considered cynical…