Property Tax question for circumnavigators

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by garychurch

Different states and counties have different requirements for sales tax, boat registration and property taxes.

If you know these requirements by actually reading their requirements posted on official web sites you can figure out what fees and taxes are due when.

For example state boat registration is not required if you do not meet their time frame. Many states only require registration if your boat spends 60 consecutive days or more in their waters. I assume sales taxes may be coupled to boat registration - paying sales tax or providing proof sales tax was paid to another state.

Many coastal water state counties exempt boats from property taxes.

As far as I know fees and taxes apply to where your boat is located and for how long.

Gary - what you say makes perfect sense but not for California. The stories of being inextricably caught in web of California taxes are legendary. Owners of higher value assets have had to provide comprehensive evidentiary support that they have indeed departed California, sometimes for many consecutive years. In short, you must prove you're innocent beyond all shadow of a doubt and reason.

California has for years been extremely aggressive in collecting taxes. Not just on boats, but in general - many workers continue to attempt to claim Nevada as their residence to avoid California state income tax; or move recently purchased boats to Oregon to avoid sales tax.

The OP is correct to be wary and concerned. My sense is the situation is not as much of a quagmire as it was years ago, but still.....it is a govt and times are tough. Who knows when they'll decide they want a bit more money.

Peter

[Dsanduril]

Send a letter to your county tax assessor. Let them know the boat is no longer in the county. Reference Assessors Handbook Section 576. Done and dusted. If you can provide proof the boat was outside of California - marina receipt, clearance document into Mexico, etc. - that will bolster your case.

Since vessels are personal property and mobile, they have no fixed situs. The situs of a vessel may be the same or different from day to day, month to month, or year to year. One of the most important duties of the marine appraiser is to determine a vessel's taxable situs. For property tax purposes, a vessel's taxable situs is established on the January 1 lien date. On the lien date, vessels with a taxable situs located in California are assessable by the taxing agency of the jurisdiction in which they are located. Vessels with a taxable situs located outside of California, almost without exception, are not assessable within the state.

It is an owner's burden to provide documentation to an assessor that situs has been established elsewhere, either in another county, state, or country. Such documentation would include a tax bill for the vessel in question by another jurisdiction or other supporting documents. If a tax bill from another jurisdiction is offered as evidence, an assessor should request the bill be marked paid, as an unpaid bill may be canceled after offering it as proof that a vessel has gained a different situs. Mooring rental slips or agreements may also provide evidence of a vessel's situs change; however, many assessors will issue escape assessments if a relocated vessel is sited back at the original location at any time within a period of one year and covering two lien dates. If a vessel has been permanently moved, the vessel is no longer taxable at its original designation, whether or not it is still documented there and whether or not its owners reside within the original taxing jurisdiction.

[endlesspursuit]

Wow, California taxes everything they can think of and are still way in the red. Welcome to a Republican run state with a balanced budget. But Please don't California my Florida when you vote.

[George DuBose]

Tax is a four letter word...