A Tale of Five Tires.
Within the last week or so, I bought a new car. Yes, the Big, Fat, Black Capitalist Car is now history. More on the new wheels later, as this is a post about tax. It is, after all, April 15th.
OK so, you buy a new car in New Jersey. Not exactly pocket change, that. The car comes with four real tires and one of those bullshit donuts as a spare. Those five tires are clearly part of the new car. Agreed? Of course. The dealer adds up the total price of the car (including the five tires) and collects, for the state, seven percent of that number as sales tax. Seven percent is a pretty big hit, for sure. Do the math in your cruller.
Ah, but you’re not done paying tax on the car. In New Jersey, after you pay seven percent of the retail value of the car (including the five tires that come with it), you get to pay an additional “Tire Tax†(pdf) of $1.50 per tire, including the spare. Sure, you’ve just spent thousands on a car, including a couple thousand in sales tax, so what’s another $7.50? The rat bastards in Trenton are counting on you thinking like that.
But wait! You’re not done paying tax yet on those tires.
Suppose one of the tires is punctured and you have it fixed. Fixing a tire is a “service,†and you pay seven percent tax on the cost of fixing the tire. Suppose the gas station guy tries to fix the tire, but decides that he can’t fix it and sells you a new tire. You get to pay seven percent tax on the cost of the repair attempt, plus seven percent sales tax on the cost of a new tire, PLUS the tire tax.
Further suppose that, after a year or so, you decide to sell the car (including the four tires and the spare) to Joe Blow. Joe Blow will have to pay seven percent sales tax on the price of your car (including the five tires) AND the tire tax as well, which means that New Jersey has now taxed the same five tires at least FOUR TIMES.
And yet, the sheeple keep paying the taxes and voting the same cruds into office.
Douchebags.
And what happens if you should happen to wander into another nearby state to purchase a vehicle?
Comment by Dave Merriman — April 15, 2009 @ 9:26 pm
I went to Sams club and picked out 4 new tires, carried them up to the front and the guy was surprised.
Uh aren’t these supposed to be installed here?
I said nope I’m taking them with me.
They ring them up and add a $1.50 disposal fee on each one.
I said wait a minute…you aren’t disposing of anything.
Take those charges off.
“It’s the law sir”
I dropped the tires and haven’t been back since.
I don’t mind paying for a service but that’s just bullshit.
Comment by hammer — April 15, 2009 @ 9:26 pm
I know this is a serious post and youse in Jersey are always getting shafted by the peckerheads in office, and that reawlly blows, but I just thought I would share (anyways) that I feel a tiny tingle up my leg whenever I hear your voice in my head say the word “Douchebag.” Srsly. I love it! It makes me howl with laughter.
Comment by Erica — April 15, 2009 @ 9:38 pm
That is terrible. Taxing something that many times is just wrong and makes no sense.
Comment by Kevin — April 15, 2009 @ 10:26 pm
We pay (in AZ) 1.50 disposal plus 2.00 environments fee on new tires.
Whatever the hell an environmental fee is.
Comment by Mark — April 16, 2009 @ 6:01 am
Jimbo my friend, my woman and I did a Tea Party yesterday, and it was good. Tires are too heavy to put on a sign, but the tax issues were front and center.
I’m talking some Juju.
Comment by Sam — April 16, 2009 @ 8:45 am
We used to be able to declare the selling price of a used car when transferring the title. Many was the time I’d cheerfully write down “One Dollar and other valuable consideration” in the Sales Price slot on the tax form, and pay the state about 8 cents tax on a $1000 car.
They finally got wise and started using Blue Book value as the basis for determining the sales tax owed.
Bastards…
Comment by El Capitan — April 16, 2009 @ 2:33 pm
used to be a battery disposable tax also…but I think most places dropped that because of the lead shortage caused by rednecks buying bullets
Comment by GUYK — April 16, 2009 @ 4:02 pm
You forgot the “disposal fee” charged when you wear those tires out and have to buy new ones.
Comment by joated — April 16, 2009 @ 8:10 pm
This does not surprise me. They don’t even let you pump your own gas there.
Comment by Bou — April 16, 2009 @ 11:02 pm
That not being able to pump your own gas thing STILL weirds me out. OTOH, nothing I read about Jersey here surprises me much anymore. What a state.
Comment by dogette — April 17, 2009 @ 8:08 am
Not having to pump our own gas may be the best thing about the state.
Jimbo
Comment by Jim — April 17, 2009 @ 8:37 am
“Not having to pump our own gas may be the best thing about the state”.
I agree, Jimbo. Sitting in the car in a pouring rainstorm while someone else does the “dirty” work suits me just fine. That’s why they call them “SERVICE stations”. 🙂
Comment by JerryK — April 17, 2009 @ 2:34 pm
When we got 4 new tires for my car last year, we were charged a $15 disposal fee for the old ones. *sigh*
As for the gas pumping thing – I don’t think I’ve seen a service station with full service pumps for years. The stations where I pump gas, they have signs for disabled people that say
“Honk your horn, IF the attendant is free they will come help you pump gas”
Sheesh! What are you supposed to do if they don’t come help you?
Comment by Teresa — April 17, 2009 @ 5:58 pm
[…] Here’s a roundup of friends’ posts, Jim has A Tale of Five Tires […]
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