Theft and loathing in Sacramento

[unixronin]

The plates and tags for the Benz that I bought used not long after Christmas arrived yesterday.  I noticed, when I went to apply the tags, that the registration period start date was off bo more than six months.  I bought the car at the very end of December or beginning of January; the registration period began June 8, 2004.

Today, I talked to the DMV clerk at the wholesaler I bought it from.  It turns out that if you buy a used car in California (which I have not done before), DMV does not begin your registration period from when you bought the car.  They begin your registration period from the last anniversary of the date the car was originally registered in California, even if it was renewed on that start date and the renewal had not run out when you bought the car.

So, on every used car registration, California DMV steals an average of six months' registration fees EACH from the buyer and the seller.

This does not happen if you buy a used car in another state, and then bring it into California.  Then, the car gets a new "birthday" on the date you brought it into the state.  Of course, if you bring it in within some certain minimum time period after you bought it, they'll charge you California sales tax on it instead.

Crooked bastards.  Welcome to California, now open your wallet and repeat after me:  "Help Yourself."

Comments

[ehintz.livejournal.com]

Huh? That's new. I've never had to double register a car(or bike). The way it used to be was DMV doesn't care when you bought it, if registration was overdue then fines and such are still due even if you aren't the one that flaked. So, if the seller flaked, didn't register it, and you buy it a year later, you owe a years registration. But, when purchasing with current registration, I've never had to pay back registration, just sales tax on the purchase price, and maybe a fee or two for title xfer.

[bbullock.livejournal.com]

My understaning is, Cali likes to soak for fees.
My wife works for a law firm that does trusts and stuff; apparently, gold old CA has one of the highestregistration costs for an LLC, as well as deeds and stuff.
How they ever run out of money there, I don't know.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Easy .... free entitlement programs for anyone who can make it across the border from Mexico, and no will to fix the problem because the California agricultural industry survives on cheap undocumented migrant workers.