Thread: title legality?

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At one time Florida tried kinda sorta a similar deal. They were sure they were missing out on sales taxes on used cars. Lets say you buy a 2000 Chevy for $1000.00 and you put that down on the bill of sale and pay the tax on that amount. What would happen is that some pencil pusher in Tallahassee would then look at the sale and look up the book value of a 2000 Chevy and if it was more they would send you a letter demanding the extra tax.

It happened to me. I bought a Lincoln Towncar that had a blown motor for something like $ 700.00. A month or so later I get a letter telling me that my 1990 Lincoln Towncar is actually worth $ 3000.00, so I owe them tax on the difference of $ 2300.00. I wrote them a letter and told them that not ALL 1990 Lincoln Towncars are worth the same amount of money, one with a blown engine like the one I bought was worth $ 700.00 and that is what I paid. They were putting the burdon of proving you were right on the buyer....you were immediately wrong until you proved otherwise.

I never heard back from them, and I think that program was short lived, but I can see where some genius came up with it because of the money they could shake out of people who didn't stand up and call them on it. Sounds like that is what California is trying to do to you guys out there.


Don