New California Tax BS!!!

[Doc Mark]

Good Evening, All,

I posted this in a thread about my new 642, but thought it might get a larger audience here in the Lounge. Those in CA, who buy guns from Buds, or any other out of State dealer, should know about this new tax scheme:

Greetings, All,

Well leave it to California to pull more BS on honest gun buyers, and others!! I went down to pick up my new 642 today, and was told that I now have to pay a tax on all guns bought out of State, and shipped to California!! Additionally (literally!!) I also have to pay a tax on the shipping charges, AND on the fee that the local FFL charges to handle the transaction!!!!

To say that I'm very angry about this is putting it much too mildly, Folks!! This State used to be a wonderful place to live. But, with each passing new BS tax, fee, or license, that our completely out of control government shovels on us, my desire to continue living here is reduced by an equal, or not more, amount!!! We love our mountain home, and have worked very hard to be good citizens, pay our bills, and take care of those in true need of help. At the same time, our CA state gov continues to find more ways to squeeze money out of us, and to regulate things that they have no business doing!!!

I am sorry for this rant, but right now, I'm ready to chuck it all in, and move to a more common sense state, where they can actually balance their budget, and good honest citizens are welcomed, rather than abused like they are in CA!!!! To top it all off, I had to leave without my pistol, as I was "an hour early" to pick it up....... Go figure..... Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
A very pissed-off Doc Mark

P.S. my new 642 is wonderful, and I'm happy to have it. Just wish CA would get their greedy fingers out of my wallet!!

 

[BaldEagle1313]

If you are planning on moving to a more tax friendly place, going north will not accomplish your goal. We've been doing that in Washington for years, and in the last 18 months or so now thay've added firearms to the mix. We don't pay tax on the transfer fee, but we DO pay tax on the gun AND shipping because shipping cost is considered part of the value of the item. They call it a use tax. Buy it anywhere you want, but if you USE it in Washington, it gets taxed at value. And don't try to have your buddy put in a receipt for $100 on that gun you bought for $700. If the number is TOO far out of line the dealer is supposed to check "fair market value" and charge you tax on that amount. You could probably get away knocking a couple of hundred off on the receipt, but that's technically fraud.

It isn't just guns, either. 10 years ago I bought a car from a private party for $4000. Had a receipt for it plus my copy of the cashier's check. When I went to change the registration DOL told me their book showed the car was worth $7000, so with the $2000 leeway they "give" you I still had to pay as much tax as though I'd paid $5000 for the car. Oh, yeah, car dealers are exempt since they have books that can be audited and they do the title transfer paperwork. It's only private party vehicle transactions that apply. Too much fraud in the past.

 

[james56]

When will you Californians take back your State!!!!!

 

[dcxplant]

Citizens forget that the power is in their hands. Rather, not ENOUGH citizens realize that they get the government they vote for.

 

[tennexplorer]

You are about to see this everywhere if the internet sales tax measure passes. Governments are desperate for revenue.

 

[mstuhr]

Get out

Howdy doc Mark,
Get out. Too many better places to live to have to be subjected to all the **** in CA.
When I was a kid in the 50-60's I thought everything cool in the world was in California. Great Drag races, everything seen in the corny old beach movies, hot rod/custom car culture and Sandy Kofax. I couldn't wait to grow up and head west.
I never made it but I don't regret it.
Life is too short to live some where that you are unhappy.
Get out and live a little.
Best of luck to you.
Mike

 

[Stevens]

Be sure you have a job secured before going any where!
Steve W.

 

[JcMack]

You are about to see this everywhere if the internet sales tax measure passes. Governments are desperate for revenue.

The whole thing reminds me of Medieval times where the tax collector comes to your village with armed guards to extract your taxes. How long can this go on? Working, middle class people already pay 50% in taxes.

 

[rromeo]

Citizens forget that the power is in their hands. Rather, not ENOUGH citizens realize that they get the government they vote for.

Howdy doc Mark,
Get out.

This is a big part of the problem. Too many right minded folks are leaving as the yahoos keep coming in.

 

[rondo]

Boy howdy, can I relate. I got so fed-up back in 2005 that I sold the house and moved just north of the border to southern Oregon. No sales tax, no waiting period, and I have a CHL. The weather is great too!

 

[sipowicz]

Be sure you have a job secured before going any where!
Steve W.

And make sure you go to the bathroom.

 

[Armed Babysitter]

There are some states I would only move to if offered a good paying LEO job, California is one of them.

 

[rbmac52]

Born and raised a native Californian, and lived there for the first 54 years of my life. Incomparable everything, from deserts to mountains, to forests, to farm land, and the weather! But I watched things start to disintegrate and knew I would have to get out of there if I wanted to live in a place where the government is somewhat under control. I left the state two weeks after I retired. I have family and friends still there, obviously, and I visit several times a year, but I could never, ever move back. I feel for everyone there who'd like to leave but can't, because of employment, property holdings, etc. Californians have been steadily losing freedoms and rights. I don't know how they can keep taking it.

 

[DCWilson]

One of the things that would fix California's revenue problems overnight is to start levying a complaint fee. Want to poormouth California? Feed the kitty. Out of state whiners pay double.

The state government is of course only a tiny part of the problem. The much bigger problem is this state's nearly 20 million voters, who routinely turn up at the polls to authorize or even mandate additional bonded expenditures for education, veterans, and infrastructure, then turn around and kill every revenue enhancement measure that would give the state the flexibility needed to pay for the programs the voters just endorsed.

This state has a monstrous Little Red Hen problem. No one wants to sow the seed or tend the crops or harvest the grain or grind the flour or bake the bread, but everyone will happily eat what comes out of the oven. And don't delude yourself about who the deadbeats are. The LRHs exist by the millions on both sides of the political spectrum. Every time I hear a self-identified conservative whine about people who want something for nothing, I wonder what happened to self-awareness. Replaced by self-esteem, I guess.

By the way, Californians have been legally obligated to pay use taxes on imported hard goods for years. This is not a new money grab. It's a new way to prohibit tax scofflaws from failing to live up to legal obligations. And not all FFLs are handling it the same way. Mine just makes me sign a form stating that I am aware a use tax is payable on the out of state purchase.

Not so charitable or good-humored today, huh? Sometimes that happens. People, just light a damn candle from time to time! I have heard way more than I ever needed to about your opinion of the darkness.

 

[pharmer]

Might as well wait till the "carbon tax" is approved before moving. You'll have to put a quarter in the slot to pass gas. It'll be "for the children." Joe

 

[ibthumper]

It's not all about taxes. The main goal is to discourage firearm ownership in the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia. Make the Servants jump through hoops, Pay fees and taxes, we'll let you buy (safety?) cards.

The Lib Demos don't give a darn and it's getting worse with every vote they cast for foolish, goals.

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Ben Franklin

 

[tacreload]

I have found if it was free for a long period of time someone will figure out how to charge you for it.If there is a cheaper alternative to something,some opportunistic weasel,government or corporate will eliminate
that cheaper alternative and raise the price.If it was simple and easy,the same weasel will figure out how to complicate it and make money off of it.They are parasites to all of us and I frankly don't see an end to it.

 

[rburg]

I got caught in that kind of thing about 20 years ago. I found a gun I wanted and had my LGS receive it. Never gave a thought to sales tax, I was buying it "mail order". I know, someplace in the distant past I read I need to pay sales tax, no one ever does. So the gun came in and I didn't give it another thought. A year and a half later I get a bill from the Revenue Cabinet for the sales tax, plus penalty on my K22. So I called the nice lady and she explained it. They know nothing about guns, prices, or conditions.

But as part of their sales tax compliance audit of retailers, they have the SS number of customers (a good reason to leave it off your dealers form.) When they inspect the persons individual return, they look to see if you've paid on a gun (or anything else.)

Now comes the tricky part. They have a rough description of your firearm, so they take a bluebook, find something close, and decide you should pay for the most perfect specimen. You can pay a fortune and take it to court, or pay your price. The way around it is to make sure you claim every gun transferred into the state. Then you can value it at anything reasonable you want.

The way it works is if you don't describe it, they assume its the highest grade it can be. Its up to you to take the initiative and prove they're wrong. But if you claim its a clunker, the onus is on them to prove otherwise and they have no evidence. They're nice enough to accept your honesty.

I agree with the poster above, its been a requirement all along. If you don't like it, its because you're a tax cheat in waiting!

 

[old bear]

The Golden State?

California Was once a great place to live and work, but sadly no longer. We left in 1992 and have never regretted the decision. It's gotten so bad out out there I no longer enjoy returning to visit family and friends.

 

[jkc]

I'm the first to berate California's liberal, screwball politicians and their acolytes who elect them, but, if memory serves, much of California's current fiscal woes arise from a voter-approved referendum limiting increases in property taxes (Proposition 13, IIRC), proponents of which were conservative Reagan Republicans. Limiting taxes probably seemed to be a good thing, in and of itself, but, without a concomitant limit on spending, profligate politicians kept spending without regard for revenue, and have steered the state to the brink of bankruptcy, and sent them searching for schemes like this "use" tax to usurp cash from anyone, anyhow, not just gun buyers.

Maybe, if the state does go bankrupt, we can put together a consortium to buy it for pennies on the dollar, turn the Assembly and the governor over to the Taliban for punishment, and restore a free state...