March_Latter t1_isuiet8 wrote on October 18, 2022 at 8:11 PM

Reply to comment by UniWheel in Casual sale tax on cars by tapemeasure43

So the town stops by and decides your house is worth double what it truly is. They send you a bill but you get to contest it. Why is this? Because you are asking an outside group to set a price. This gives a bit of due process in case of error. In the case of the car the state wins no matter what, so no due process. It also tends to be a direct tax on the poor as its not the well off that buys these down market cars. So no only are we not allowing due process we are taxing the poor extra.

UniWheel t1_isuvd4k wrote on October 18, 2022 at 9:34 PM

You're still caught up in the idea that the tax is based on the sales price or the actual value of the car. But it's not.

According to the law, it's based on the greater of that or the book value.

You have due process, because you can inform yourself what the tax on the car is going to be before you decide to buy it. Apparently you assumed it would be based on the sales prices - that's an understandable mistake, but still a mistake of assumption contrary to the law on your part.

Now in terms of the distinct subject of excise taxes on already purchased vehicles, or property assessments, yes, the value of something you already own can go up, and long with it the taxes due. But the appropriate government process can also simply change the tax rate.

To win, you're basically going to have to show in court that you are being unfairly singled out, rather than being subjected to a policy that is the same for everyone.