GOV/MIL Maine's new tax trick; look out

colonel holman

Administrator
_______________
Went to town office to register vehicles (pay excise tax). Excise tax is based on book value of vehicle, actually paying the equivalent of a sales tax annually. That is a problem all by itself, of course. BUT, a new twist this year. State govt quietly modified the rules. When we paid excise tax, it was (curiously) the exact same $ amount as last year's tax. It should go down each year as the value of the vehicles depreciate. When we asked why the tax did not go down, we were told the excise tax calculation was modified to keep the tax the same as last year... apparently so they could increase income while saying they did not raise taxes. I see why they did this. No one buying new cars in this economy, keeping the old ones, which depreciate, which reduces state tax revenues. I am sure this is-will happen elsewhere.

Everyone I talk to in my office as clients pass through, to a person, are pi$$ed beyond reasonable and itching for election day to try to fix the out of control PTB... here in a mostly liberal union-based Democrat region. You would think we were an overwhelmingly conservative town from they way everyone is feeling and openly voicing.
 

Flippper

Time Traveler
here in a mostly liberal union-based Democrat region. You would think we were an overwhelmingly conservative town from they way everyone is feeling and openly voicing.

Be sure to explain to them that this is what conservatives were afraid of, which is why they stood for less gov't and more personal responsibility. Help them understand what those who they supported in elections were REALLY out to do.
 

Bad Hand

Veteran Member
I have had several people try to talk me into moving to Maine. There is no way I would ever move there or for that matter travel east of the Mississippi.
 

Anrol5

Inactive
In the UK we have a belief we shouldn't raise income tax. It is a scared cow, governments will *not* raise income levels from 20% to say 25%. The UK government is broke, and has to get creative and collect tax by every slight of hand possible. So they adjust this tax that only affects a small number of people upwards, or they adjust a wide ranging tax, that isn't income tax upwards, and this little tax upwards, and that little tax upwards......

Every time we do our tax returns, there is a lot of blue air in our house. We spend hours and hours and hours, making sure we have paid tax on this thing, and tax on that investment, and tax on that savings account, you get it. If base rate tax was 25%, we could get our tax returns done in a day, instead of taking weeks, and we would probably pay exactly the same amount.

So if you think the increase in excise tax is bad, just wait, your life is going to get a lot, lot more complicated as states try to raise more money without people noticing. And IMO, it won’t matter who you vote in next, *EVERY* elected official will face the same choices, and they will most likely all go for creative taxes. As far as I am concerned a 5% (plus?) increase in base rate tax may be more painful upfront, but it would make life so much easier in the long run.

Anrol
 

Amazed

Does too have a life!
The state portion of our vehicle excise tax doubled this year here in New Hampshire. :mad:
 

Richard

TB Fanatic
In the UK we have a belief we shouldn't raise income tax. It is a scared cow, governments will *not* raise income levels from 20% to say 25%. The UK government is broke, and has to get creative and collect tax by every slight of hand possible. So they adjust this tax that only affects a small number of people upwards, or they adjust a wide ranging tax, that isn't income tax upwards, and this little tax upwards, and that little tax upwards......

Every time we do our tax returns, there is a lot of blue air in our house. We spend hours and hours and hours, making sure we have paid tax on this thing, and tax on that investment, and tax on that savings account, you get it. If base rate tax was 25%, we could get our tax returns done in a day, instead of taking weeks, and we would probably pay exactly the same amount.

So if you think the increase in excise tax is bad, just wait, your life is going to get a lot, lot more complicated as states try to raise more money without people noticing. And IMO, it won’t matter who you vote in next, *EVERY* elected official will face the same choices, and they will most likely all go for creative taxes. As far as I am concerned a 5% (plus?) increase in base rate tax may be more painful upfront, but it would make life so much easier in the long run.

Anrol

What about cutting Government spending, making Government and the NHS more efficient, cut the massive benefits bill (forming 50% of Government spending), get rid of at least 15% of the Civil Service, freeze public sector wages for at least 5 years, cut the pay and expenses of MPs, withdraw from the EU, stop all Government Aid abroad etc etc
all I see is massive increases in Govt spending with no benefits to the tax paying public whatsoever
 

Lone Wolf

Lives on TB
Went to town office to register vehicles (pay excise tax). Excise tax is based on book value of vehicle, actually paying the equivalent of a sales tax annually. That is a problem all by itself, of course. BUT, a new twist this year. State govt quietly modified the rules. When we paid excise tax, it was (curiously) the exact same $ amount as last year's tax. It should go down each year as the value of the vehicles depreciate. When we asked why the tax did not go down, we were told the excise tax calculation was modified to keep the tax the same as last year... apparently so they could increase income while saying they did not raise taxes. I see why they did this. No one buying new cars in this economy, keeping the old ones, which depreciate, which reduces state tax revenues. I am sure this is-will happen elsewhere.

Everyone I talk to in my office as clients pass through, to a person, are pi$$ed beyond reasonable and itching for election day to try to fix the out of control PTB... here in a mostly liberal union-based Democrat region. You would think we were an overwhelmingly conservative town from they way everyone is feeling and openly voicing.

Hey Col

The excise tax went on during the 2nd world war.

This greedy bunch of B******* and that penciled necked sob in malfunction junction spend every waking hour figgureing out how to screw you some more.

I'll never understand the democrap mind, never They bend over for it time and time again and say ohhh that feeeeels so good!
BOHICA

lw
 
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