The tax man cometh

I have read some postings of California trying to tax Nevada aircraft but
this one is really far out!

I received one each for my two sailplanes, an Aircraft Statement form for me
to complete for the
the Assessor of Santa Barbara County,CA so that my aircraft can be
equitably valued!
And if I fail to file these forms, it requires the Assessor to add a 10%
penalty to the value of my aircraft.
The interesting thing is, these two aircraft have been based in Ohio for ten
and 20 years, respectively.
These people must be smoking something while they go through the entire FAA
aircraft list.
The letters were sent to Ohio so they had to see my address when they sent
them.

What in the world are these people thinking?

Gale Winnett

Did you at any time in the last year have your aircraft in California?
Do you own property in Santa Barbara County CA?

there was a thread last year about someone receiving a tax letter from Kern
County just because someone else may have mentioned that he was moving there
(or something like that), even though the gliders have always been based
elsewhere and he had to prove that they were indeed not in Kern Co and that
he had paid the tax in a different CA County

When counties get desperate for Tax dollars, you have to prove to them that
you don't owe the tax.
BT

wrote in message
...
I have read some postings of California trying to tax Nevada aircraft but
this one is really far out!

I received one each for my two sailplanes, an Aircraft Statement form for
me
to complete for the
the Assessor of Santa Barbara County,CA so that my aircraft can be
equitably valued!
And if I fail to file these forms, it requires the Assessor to add a 10%
penalty to the value of my aircraft.
The interesting thing is, these two aircraft have been based in Ohio for
ten
and 20 years, respectively.
These people must be smoking something while they go through the entire
FAA
aircraft list.
The letters were sent to Ohio so they had to see my address when they
sent
them.

What in the world are these people thinking?

Gale Winnett

California (bless their little cash strapped hearts) re-evaluates aircraft
each year, bumping the value according to Bluebook, then adding what sales
tax would be if you had to replace it to arrive at the taxable value.

Nevada, on the other hand, depreciates aircaft each year based on the number
of years you've owned it. When the tax amount due falls below $75, they tell
you there's no tax due.

Tax on my Mooney in Napa County CA was $1400. Moving it to Douglas County,
Nevada dropped the tax to $200. Makes me almost smile when I write the
check.

Oh, and the soaring conditions are substantially better at Minden!!

bumper

It is nice to live in Idaho where you only pay $0.01 per pound. ($8.10 for
my HP-14.)


"bumper" wrote in message
...
California (bless their little cash strapped hearts) re-evaluates aircraft
each year, bumping the value according to Bluebook, then adding what sales
tax would be if you had to replace it to arrive at the taxable value.

Nevada, on the other hand, depreciates aircaft each year based on the
number
of years you've owned it. When the tax amount due falls below $75, they
tell
you there's no tax due.

Tax on my Mooney in Napa County CA was $1400. Moving it to Douglas County,
Nevada dropped the tax to $200. Makes me almost smile when I write the
check.

Oh, and the soaring conditions are substantially better at Minden!!

bumper

In Tennessee we pay only sales tax on the original purchase, even of used
aircraft, at just over 6.5 percent. That's it. No annual cost at all.


Mark


"Wayne Paul" wrote in message
...
It is nice to live in Idaho where you only pay $0.01 per pound. ($8.10
for
my HP-14.)


"bumper" wrote in message
...
California (bless their little cash strapped hearts) re-evaluates
aircraft
each year, bumping the value according to Bluebook, then adding what
sales
tax would be if you had to replace it to arrive at the taxable value.

Nevada, on the other hand, depreciates aircaft each year based on the
number
of years you've owned it. When the tax amount due falls below $75, they
tell
you there's no tax due.

Tax on my Mooney in Napa County CA was $1400. Moving it to Douglas
County,
Nevada dropped the tax to $200. Makes me almost smile when I write the
check.

Oh, and the soaring conditions are substantially better at Minden!!

bumper

These people must be smoking something while they go through the entire
FAA
aircraft list.

Would that they were. I just got mine from Kern County where I pay my
sailplane property tax. I suspect that they're looking for ways to increase
their assessment income on aircraft already on the books.

Ray Warshaw
1LK

Don't sweat it. On that same tax form it should ask
where you base your aircraft. The taxes will be paid
to where you base your aircraft unless you volunteer
to pay taxes where you reside. I live in California.
I base my aircraft in Minden, NV. I get a tax form
from the county in which I reside about every two years.
I just tell them I base the plane in Nevada and it
is over. However, be warned that the California assessor
will check to make sure you ARE paying taxes to Nevada.
Essentially, as long as you ARE paying taxes you are
off the hook. However, if you tell California that
you are paying taxes (say, in Nevada) and you are not,
and they find out, you will be a very sorry aircraft
owner.
Now, having said that, I had one very ugly experience
with California. I had brought my plane to California
for some home repair and was keeping it on a local
airfield in Sacramento County. Turns out the county
has people regularly visit airports and record the
tail numbers of every plane on the field. Then they
send tax notices to every plane on the field that they
are not receiving taxes from. For this situation,
I had to prove that I keep my plane outside of the
state more than 50% of the year. I submitted ramp
fee receipts from Nevada and they actually called the
Nevada airport manager to verify that I do keep my
plane in Nevada most of the year. That situation took
several months to resolve.
The lesson is that tax authorities are starting to
talk to each other. If you lie, you could get a spanking.
At 04:24 06 March 2006, Raphael Warshaw wrote:

'Mark Lenox' wrote in message
...

In Tennessee we pay only sales tax on the original
purchase, even of used
aircraft, at just over 6.5 percent. That's it.
No annual cost at all.



That's nice, but, much as I hate to admit it, being
based at Cal City is
worth what I pay them.

Ray Warshaw
1LK

I paid CT use tax on two 1-26E models, an A model and a Nimbus 3. I
think it varied from $400 to $600, depending on purchase price. I paid
the tax on the annual state income tax return for the year in which the
glider was purchased. The A model was a salvage, but CT assessed me
$6,000 (that's not a typo) until I proved it was worth only a thousand
bucks, after which they revised the use tax amount to $84. I did not
report the A model (it was a wreck) so they came and found me in WA,
two years later.

Good luck with your CT Department of Revenue, from my experience they
appear to be humorless.

Jim

T o d d P a t t i s t wrote:
"noel56z" wrote:

Here in Connecticut there is no safls or use tax on "used"
gliders/sailplanes w/o a motor. As soon as the tax folks pick up the
FAA registration record they send you a bill inquiry. We just return
the letter together with a signed statement the ship is used and never
hear from them again. Looks like the East coast has a more enlightened
tax approach.

Can you point to the applicable CT statute or regulation?


Unfortunately, CT fixed the loophole that let gliders slip by without
use tax a few years ago. It used to say 'airplane', they changed it to
say 'aircraft' including gliders. I was bitten by this when I bought
my glider.

You might be able to avoid use tax, if you never 'use' the aircraft in
CT.

Todd Smith
3S

Check the FAQ:
http://www.ct.gov/drs/cwp/view.asp?a=1510&q=300882&drsPNavCtr=|#40860

Or the statute (good luck)
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2005/pub/Chap219.htm

Arizona taxes airplanes on value but gliders (and antique airplanes)
are taxed $25 per year regardless of value. The taxman also takes a
cut on initial purchase of new gliders and trailers.

Andy