Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

Has anyone else had to pay this ? I got notice from the tax people saying there was a lien put on my boat because I haven't paid the luxury tax on my boat.cant wait to leave this piece of **** state....

There is a call personal property tax base on the value of the boat. I know they do it on boat and not sure of any other things they use this tax on..

Yup as far as I know we all have to. Any boat 18' and longer not sure what $$$ amount they stop charging it. You can hagle with them about the value of the boat and maybe get it lower.

Terry

Depends on the county. I know Stanislaus charges a luxury tax on boats.

Los Angeles County charges a Luxury Tax, but they call it, Unsecured Property Tax. I pay around $59 per year.

Been paying it every year. In Stanislaus County it is 1.1% of the appraised value of the boat and once it reaches $5,000.00 they no longer charge you. They can't tell me why i have to pay tax for the motor and trailer other than to say it's with the boat. I tell them it's not a luxury to have a trailer or motor and look at me dumbfounded.

They get you for the motor/trailer when you register it at DMV. What you do is register boat only and not the motor and trailer. You already pay license fee on the trailer.

All boats in CA.over 17 ft pay this 1 percent fee. When i lived on Bethel Island they sent the notice to the wrong address and since i got the notice late the county put a tax lien on me and i didnt find out about it till i ran my credit report .
Dave

Out of curiosity how much are they charging you for the luxury tax each year? I wonder if it's worth registering your boat and trailer in AZ while keeping it in CA. When I bought my last boat (2000 Cobra 201) off a guy in So Cal the boat/trailer were registered in AZ but the guy lived in CA. He said overall it was much cheaper in his situation to register in AZ and keep the boat in CA.

VinnieTheFish wrote:Out of curiosity how much are they charging you for the luxury tax each year? I wonder if it's worth registering your boat and trailer in AZ while keeping it in CA. When I bought my last boat (2000 Cobra 201) off a guy in So Cal the boat/trailer were registered in AZ but the guy lived in CA. He said overall it was much cheaper in his situation to register in AZ and keep the boat in CA.

+1

It's base on value when you register it at DMV. Long ago I had a 16' ft and they bill me for it and bill me every year til I told them it has depreciate and wasn't worth that much and they took me off their list.

It will get pretty interesting when Game and Fish checks you and you try to explain why your boat is registered in AZ but you have a CA resident fishing license

Perfectly legal Bryan.

Brian D. wrote:Perfectly legal Bryan.

This loophole brought to you by true yacht and sport fisher owners, who take possession in Cabo, berth for a couple of months to establish "residency", and skip out on paying their taxes, so the rest of us have to pick up the slack.
If you live in this state, and use public services, you should pay for them.

mark poulson wrote:

Brian D. wrote:Perfectly legal Bryan.

This loophole brought to you by true yacht and sport fisher owners, who take possession in Cabo, berth for a couple of months to establish "residency", and skip out on paying their taxes, so the rest of us have to pick up the slack.
If you live in this state, and use public services, you should pay for them.

The Luxury tax goes to the general fund not for anything related to public services for lakes/rivers or anything fishing related. Just another money grab to stick it to those who don't know better.

In CA the boat and trailer have a separate title for both, whereas AZ you have no title for the boat only the trailer. Fees for boat registration are paid directly to AZGFD and the trailer through AZMVD with perm plates. You can register your boat with AZ to skip the CA luxury tax and keep your trailer registered in CA if you like. Buying/selling of watercraft in AZ is much easier too as private party sales do not require you to pay sales tax on the purchase. Boat registration is fairly cheap too compared to CA.

Watercraft renewal and registration info can be found online here if you're interested:

http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation ... tion.shtml

Perfectly legal and accepted in all 50 states.

VinnieTheFish wrote:

mark poulson wrote:

Brian D. wrote:Perfectly legal Bryan.

This loophole brought to you by true yacht and sport fisher owners, who take possession in Cabo, berth for a couple of months to establish "residency", and skip out on paying their taxes, so the rest of us have to pick up the slack.
If you live in this state, and use public services, you should pay for them.

The Luxury tax goes to the general fund not for anything related to public services for lakes/rivers or anything fishing related. Just another money grab to stick it to those who don't know better.

In CA the boat and trailer have a separate title for both, whereas AZ you have no title for the boat only the trailer. Fees for boat registration are paid directly to AZGFD and the trailer through AZMVD with perm plates. You can register your boat with AZ to skip the CA luxury tax and keep your trailer registered in CA if you like. Buying/selling of watercraft in AZ is much easier too as private party sales do not require you to pay sales tax on the purchase. Boat registration is fairly cheap too compared to CA.

Watercraft renewal and registration info can be found online here if you're interested:

http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation ... tion.shtml

Perfectly legal and accepted in all 50 states.

Thanks for doing the leg work on this post.

Knowledge is power.

VinnieTheFish wrote:
In CA the boat and trailer have a separate title for both, whereas AZ you have no title for the boat only the trailer. Fees for boat registration are paid directly to AZGFD and the trailer through AZMVD with perm plates. You can register your boat with AZ to skip the CA luxury tax and keep your trailer registered in CA if you like. Buying/selling of watercraft in AZ is much easier too as private party sales do not require you to pay sales tax on the purchase. Boat registration is fairly cheap too compared to CA.

Watercraft renewal and registration info can be found online here if you're interested:

http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation ... tion.shtml

Perfectly legal and accepted in all 50 states.

There is no title for the engine in California. Only the boat. Which is why it is very difficult to find financing on a new motor. The lender doesn't have a title (pink slip) for the engine, therefore if you default on the loan they have no way to put a lien on it to get their money back.

I register my boat in AZ and trailer in CA. Total cost is about the same for non resident once you total it out. I rather give my money to AZ than this shithole state.