Tax Rant

I'm officially anti-tax. I've had an epiphany.

My girlfriend just moved to DC from Bethesda, so she has to transfer her license, registration, title, insurance etc.

Apparently DC has an excise tax when obtaining a title, which means simply to register your car, on top of the fees, you have to pay them 6% of the value of your car, just because they said so. Mind you, she paid tax on the car when she purchased it a few years ago.

SHE'S BEING TAXED ON A PURCHASE SHE MADE YEARS AGO, THAT SHE WAS ALREADY TAXED ON.

Which leads me to sales tax. I scrimp and save and work to earn my money, and pay income taxes on it. Aggravating, but fair enough. The government needs funding.

Why then, do I pay tax on an item when I buy it? I'm not earning anything, I'm paying a fee to spend money. The seller be taxed for making money, just as I am.

I'm voting for whoever proposes scrapping the current federal/state/local tax laws and comes up with a plan that doesn't charge me arbitrarily.

I'm gonna go dump some tea in the river.

massachusetts has a yearly excise tax... every single year i pay about $100 so that they dont take my car away.

we also dont have tax on essential items though so it balances out.

Let the bears pay the Bear Tax! I pay the Homer Tax.

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Originally Posted by PAlexC

Why then, do I pay tax on an item when I buy it? I'm not earning anything, I'm paying a fee to spend money. The seller be taxed for making money, just as I am.

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http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...74362583451279

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Originally Posted by PAlexC

I'm voting for whoever proposes scrapping the current federal/state/local tax laws and comes up with a plan that doesn't charge me arbitrarily.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyT3SBiTbpc

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Originally Posted by PAlexC

I'm voting for whoever proposes scrapping the current federal/state/local tax laws and comes up with a plan that doesn't charge me arbitrarily.

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So, you're officially conservative now? :)

Not that many of the current candidates look like they will do much in this area, imo.

I can add a whole list of other tax rip-off areas too. Like having to pay taxes on dividends for stocks when the company you are invested in already paid taxes on that profit. Or, the fact that your family has to pay an enormous tax on the assets you own when you die... the reason... beats the hell out of me... you aren't alive and can't complain?

Ever think about the purpose of paid parking meters? Why does that money need to be collected that way? Don't we already pay taxes into a budget for keeping up roads and related things?

It goes on. :)

PS: Don't beat up sales tax. The people that propose eliminating the current tax system suggest that a flat sales tax is the way to go. It basically makes it very difficult for anyone to cheat taxes since money isn't any good unless you can spend it. :)

To answer your question about the reason for sales tax, the logic is that the state will collect additional taxes from people spending time there. In states with no sales tax, they have to make up that money some other way. In Oregon, they stick it to property owners. So, a bunch of people drive down here from Seattle to buy things tax-free and I have to pay that difference. Not good for state business, cost of living, etc.

Sorry for the triple post. But, I've been waiting for 5+ years for someone to have a tax rant. ;)

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The FairTax Act (HR 25, S 1025) is nonpartisan legislation. It abolishes all federal personal and corporate income taxes, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, and self-employment taxes and replaces them with one simple, visible, federal retail sales tax administered primarily by existing state sales tax authorities.

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http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServ...ame=about_main

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Originally Posted by PAlexC

Apparently DC has an excise tax when obtaining a title, which means simply to register your car, on top of the fees, you have to pay them 6% of the value of your car, just because they said so. Mind you, she paid tax on the car when she purchased it a few years ago.

SHE'S BEING TAXED ON A PURCHASE SHE MADE YEARS AGO, THAT SHE WAS ALREADY TAXED ON.

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The state or (in this case district) is basically recovering sales tax had you bought the car there.

Welcome to DC, where you'll pay taxes on the air you breath, and then pay taxes on those taxes.

If your girl thinks DC taxes are bad, wait until she finds out how much her insurance premiums are going to rise by moving into the district.

If were griping about taxes. Let me present the butt raping of the middle class with current tax brackets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_brackets

How do they justify a 10% increase across the $30k mark but only 3% increase at 77k. You get ahead a little and you get kicked back down...

Not everyone making less than 77k is middle class.

The scale demonstrates more of a break for families under the poverty line than a punishment for the middle class.

If I were your girlfriend I'd hold off on registering her car in DC for as long as possible. I lived in DC for about a year and a half with Virginia plates. No, it's not legal and not recommended if she has to park on the street overnight of course, but if she has a garage spot somewhere, it's worth a shot. Also consider the longer you wait to register...the lower your car value will be and the less excise tax you'll pay.

We get screwed here in VA too, instead of excise tax we pay "personal property" tax if you own a car...basically around $200 a year - so it adds up.