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My friends in Oregon pay a one time fee of $66 for permanent Antique registration and plates...In California I pay about $100 minimum with some like the 61 Corvette being several hundred more...At current rates it would cost me at least $1000 for ten years in California and $66 in Oregon...Other States have similar fee structures... $20 for vehicles 30 years older and under 2850 lbs and $25 if over.Also, California has just about every tax/fee known... not so for neighboring States... no Income Tax in Washington, Nevada, etc or no Sales Tax in Oregon are huge differences on their own.
Simply the difference in a 10% Sales Tax vs no Sales Tax is humongous....
Well, the reality is most people who can afford to own 10 antique cars don't have to worry about a $10 increase in fees..
Well, the reality is most people who can afford to own 10 antique cars don't have to worry about a $10 increase in fees..
Yes we do... most are labors of love or an old vehicle passed down through the family...
At one time I kept the registration and insurance on 23 antique cars... now it is only the insurance... the State has lost a lot by being greedy.
I'm losing lifelong car friends to Oregon all the time... these are people in their 60's and older and a top reason is California, once the mecca for the car hobby is just about as car unfriendly as can be... even buying straight gasoline around here is impossible... why does everything have to have mandated Ethanol that ruins older engines?
What people can afford is like a slave master saying I can get a little more blood, sweat and tears out of someone without killing them...
What someone can afford is the worst Metric...
California is the only State that charges a person NOT TO USE their vehicle... that's right, Under severe penalty you must pay to register your vehicle NON-OPERATION for parking it in your garage... just how crazy is that?
I've posted before about an elderly widower and stroke victim... he retired in 1996 and bought himself his only new vehicle in his life... a bare bones 1996 Ford Pickup... with stick and 6 cylinder...
In 2013 he had a severe stroke... neighbor found him... he was at the VA hospital for months... the long and short is his car sat in his mobile home park for 3 years in the carport... the back fees, penalties totaled $1356 on a 20 year old pickup... his niece came to me as she was unable to sell it with mounting penalties and no way to get a smog on a non drivable vehicle...
You read that right... $1,356 for a vehicle that was not moved an inch because the elderly owner had a stroke...
He lived in a mobile home park on Social Security in California.
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 11-29-2016 at 10:09 AM..
Well, the reality is most people who can afford to own 10 antique cars don't have to worry about a $10 increase in fees..
Another example motorist considering California should know is just how onerous the Traffic/Court system is...
The cost to settle a simple traffic ticket is often double the actual ticket cost... the Court system and other entities are like leaches tacking on fees... a $300 citation could run $600 simply to pay it...
Talk about impacting those with scant resources...
Below is a like stating a $35 offense costs about $300 to clear... extorsion...
Another example motorist considering California should know is just how onerous the Traffic/Court system is...The cost to settle a simple traffic ticket is often double the actual ticket cost... the Court system and other entities are like leaches tacking on fees... a $300 citation could run $600 simply to pay it...Talk about impacting those with scant resources...
Below is a like stating a $35 offense costs about $300 to clear... extorsion... Watchdog: State uses additional fees from traffic tickets to help make ends meet - The Orange County Register
It is good people are at least asking the questions before committing...
You won't get an argument out of me about those 'add on' fees to traffic tickets, I've been screaming about that for years, all it does is create a vast number of people who can never pay the tickets and end up driving around on a suspended license without insurance...who ever thought the outcome would be otherwise is nuts. Regarding the non-op situation, I agree with that too, maybe it was abused in the past but there is no reason for them to do what they did. If there was ever a way to fight either one of those issues I would definitely be on board
The vehicle registration fee is going up $10 in 2017 I'm not aware of any other recent DMV fee increases. In any case, DMV fees are cheaper in California than in Nevada for cars with a value of over $500 because in Nevada the DMV depreciates cars less than in California.
I understand that a fire fee is a burden to people living in rural areas, but to be fair, should the entire state pay for the increased fire fighting costs for people who voluntarily live in those areas? It's kind of like people living in flood zones, I don't think the extra cost for their insurance should be borne by the entire population of the state, where you live is a choice..no one forces anyone to live in a particular place.
I understand that, but there are fees and taxes in every state. I think the article was referring to the high income tax rate in California that does not impact anyone except high wage earners. Other than income taxes I don't think California taxes & fees are much different than other states
You must not get out much.
I registered a vehicle in TN for $24. That is the cost for ANY vehicle, no matter what the value. In CA that vehicle's registration fee was several hundred dollars. The recent $10 increase is not much, but if you are struggling already, every dollar counts, and CAs fee is already on the high end nation wide.
The California fire fee does NOT pay to fight fires. It also has NOTHING to do with our personal insurance cost. It pays people working for Cal Fire to sit on their butt in an office and think up fire safety brochures and posters. Yep, it is ONLY fire safety education. It does NOT benefit many of the rural areas at all, and anyone in the whole state can get a copy of the poster or brochure--it in not restricted to the rural area folks who pay for it.
Where I live the fire insurance is not even available through regular insurance companies. We are insured under Lloyds of London and other non-admitted insurers. My house insurance is over $3000 a year with a $10,000 deductible. Yep, we pay for it. We also have bonds paid for through our property taxes to the effect of $400 to $600+ a year for our LOCAL fire services from our local fire agency. We live by a Forest, and the forest--FEDERAL forest- has a fire fighting unit, and they tap into the national unit.
CAL FIRE--they do NOTHING here to fight fires. They do have a training facility where they train folks, but that only helps them, not the community. So, you think we should pay for a fire tax??? To Cal Fire???
Yep, no one forces us to live here, but they certainly force us to pay a tax like fee because Cal Fire needed money to balance the state budget... and not because they assist in fighting fires, as that is not even allowed under what the fee can be used for--only education.
Yes, the article was discussing income taxes, but the CONCLUSION that people were not leaving because of the taxes is what I was stating was not correct and there are many more taxes and tax like fees than income taxes that, if considered, may result in a different conclusion. It was clear that the author was upper class and did not understand the middle and lower class struggles.
And yep, you do not get out much--in saying that CA's fees and taxes are not that much more than other states--CA is one of the highest taxed states in the US. Many articles on that, some states do not even have income taxes! One state pays residents to live there. And CAs taxes and fees are also one of the highest burdens on the residents! Most states do not have all these special fees...at all!
Well, I hate all taxes - income tax, sales tax, property tax - wish it all came free. Some states tax Social Security and income tax, some have incredibly high property taxes. The list goes on and on. It all comes down to what place suits you best and what you can reasonably afford without feeling ripped off and angry.
Plenty of people leave California for what they believe are greener, less costly pastures as (highly) evidenced on CD. But after traveling to 11 cities (West and Mountain West) in 4 years and comparing the basic cost of living, we came to the conclusion that, day to day expenses were not that different. We shopped in all of these prospective cities, toured dozens of homes, did sample tax forms, even paid our accountant to do the math for us when considering both Oregon and California. BTW, everyone touts OR on here, but did you know that income tax starts at 9%? I know, I know no sales tax but it didn't balance out, at least not for us.
We considered places that were brutally hot 6 months of the year, requiring massive amounts of air conditioning and significant time away. We looked at cold climates that had freezing temps and snow from late October through March requiring us to snowbird. We explored community resources, recreational opportunities and the quality of medical care. In the end, California matched best with our wish list.
So OP, do your homework, make a bucket list, take a close look at your budget, research your options and just tune out the noise. If California speaks to you, you can most definitely make it work. It's all about finding that sweet spot you can afford.
You must not get out much.
I registered a vehicle in TN for $24. That is the cost for ANY vehicle, no matter what the value. In CA that vehicle's registration fee was several hundred dollars. The recent $10 increase is not much, but if you are struggling already, every dollar counts, and CAs fee is already on the high end nation wide.
The California fire fee does NOT pay to fight fires. It also has NOTHING to do with our personal insurance cost. It pays people working for Cal Fire to sit on their butt in an office and think up fire safety brochures and posters. Yep, it is ONLY fire safety education. It does NOT benefit many of the rural areas at all, and anyone in the whole state can get a copy of the poster or brochure--it in not restricted to the rural area folks who pay for it.
Where I live the fire insurance is not even available through regular insurance companies. We are insured under Lloyds of London and other non-admitted insurers. My house insurance is over $3000 a year with a $10,000 deductible. Yep, we pay for it. We also have bonds paid for through our property taxes to the effect of $400 to $600+ a year for our LOCAL fire services from our local fire agency. We live by a Forest, and the forest--FEDERAL forest- has a fire fighting unit, and they tap into the national unit.
CAL FIRE--they do NOTHING here to fight fires. They do have a training facility where they train folks, but that only helps them, not the community. So, you think we should pay for a fire tax??? To Cal Fire???
Yep, no one forces us to live here, but they certainly force us to pay a tax like fee because Cal Fire needed money to balance the state budget... and not because they assist in fighting fires, as that is not even allowed under what the fee can be used for--only education.
Yes, the article was discussing income taxes, but the CONCLUSION that people were not leaving because of the taxes is what I was stating was not correct and there are many more taxes and tax like fees than income taxes that, if considered, may result in a different conclusion. It was clear that the author was upper class and did not understand the middle and lower class struggles.
And yep, you do not get out much--in saying that CA's fees and taxes are not that much more than other states--CA is one of the highest taxed states in the US. Many articles on that, some states do not even have income taxes! One state pays residents to live there. And CAs taxes and fees are also one of the highest burdens on the residents! Most states do not have all these special fees...at all!
Sorry if someone lied to you about the cost of living in a rural area in California, if that is what happened you might actually have recourse against the realtor since taxes and fees are required disclosures. If on the other hand you bought the property knowing the costs,then you might want to consider selling and moving somewhere more to your liking. All states have to use a series of taxes and fees to run the government, if there are low DMV fees, they will make up for it somewhere else. But I looked up Tennessee DMV fees and they do vary by county but they seem to be much higher than what you care claiming, here is Shelby County
California is the only State that charges a person NOT TO USE their vehicle... that's right, Under severe penalty you must pay to register your vehicle NON-OPERATION for parking it in your garage... just how crazy is that?
Maybe it "fell through the cracks"? No sense rocking the boat. Was tempted to drive it the other year when the color of the yearly stickers rolled around, but the car wasn't insured, so I passed.
Another example motorist considering California should know is just how onerous the Traffic/Court system is...
The cost to settle a simple traffic ticket is often double the actual ticket cost... the Court system and other entities are like leaches tacking on fees... a $300 citation could run $600 simply to pay it...
Talk about impacting those with scant resources...
Below is a like stating a $35 offense costs about $300 to clear... extorsion...
Sorry if someone lied to you about the cost of living in a rural area in California, if that is what happened you might actually have recourse against the realtor since taxes and fees are required disclosures. If on the other hand you bought the property knowing the costs,then you might want to consider selling and moving somewhere more to your liking. All states have to use a series of taxes and fees to run the government, if there are low DMV fees, they will make up for it somewhere else. But I looked up Tennessee DMV fees and they do vary by county but they seem to be much higher than what you care claiming, here is Shelby County
No one lied to me about CA. I was born and raised in CA. I now live in the same community my grandparents had vacation homes at when my parents were children. I have been here, in this community, off and on since I was born.
But I have also traveled and worked at different locations, so I do not have rosy colored glasses on when I look at CA. I do not feel a need to defend any area, all have good and bad points. That is what this board discusses.
Never said I was deceived, as I was not, I know what CA is about. However, in discussing taxes or whatever considering the information / facts about the taxes, and for CA tax like fees, is important for someone considering moving TO CA. They should be able to read about the various taxes they would never have heard of at their current location.
BTW, in TN each COUNTY sets their own fee for vehicle registration. Shelby County, which I believe is where a big city (by TN standards), Memphis, is located would be higher than the rural area I registered in...Cumberland County. Here is a link for the whole state, and the rural areas, in general charge less than the urban areas.
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