Re: Tag prices

[AUDIDUDI@delphi.com]

> The big deal here in Wa state is that we have no personal property tax
> so they tack on an "excise" tax on your license tabs based on the list
> price of the vehicle multiplied by a "depreciation factor" based upon
> age and then add 2.3% of that value on to the basic tab price of about
> $25. Example: for the 91 200Q list was $42,400. The multiplier for a 5
> yr old car is .65 so 42,400 x .65 x .023 = ~$633 for the excise tax
> portion of the tab price. I wish the car had retained 65% of its
> original value, but then its an Audi not an MB, BMW or Acura.

Here in Arizona, they use the same basic procedure with one exception: when
you license an out-of-state car for the first time, they start with the FMV
(Fair Market Value) and not the original list price.  If you can prove that
you paid less than FMV -- say, you bought a car needing lots of work or one
that's cosmetically beat -- you CAN negotiate the FMV downward.  Of course,
once they have a starting point for your car, they apply their standardized
depreciation schedule in order to calculate the tax for the following year;
it doesn't matter matter whether you've rolled the car or restored it since
then and they won't let you appeal their valuation as you can with property
taxes.

Obviously, the trick here is to buy your cars second-hand from out-of-state
sources and get the seller to give you two receipts: one for the amount you
actually paid for the car and a second for licensing purposes.  It helps if
you also pay the seller with two checks instead of one in case they ask for
additional proof ... or so I've been told.  Certainly, I would never try to
get away with something like this.  Nope, not me...

     _             _             
    / l       l o l  \       l o   Jeffrey Goggin
   /__l l l / l l l  l l l / l l   * * * * * * *
  /   l l_l \_l l l__/ l_l \_l l   AudiDudi@delphi.com