The guy who caught 756 owes the IRS $200k or more

[boykster]

Right, but that's an average car, not one with collectable value above blue book.

And usually those $0 or $1 sales are specific exceptions for passing a car to family member... in MA, you used to be able to sell a car for $1 with no taxes to a relative.  Can't do that anymore, though.

Yeah, we were given a car and I found out the hard way that you still pay sales tax even when its free.

In WA state, you would pay your licensing fee / tax based on bluebook value, but at the time of sale the buyer would have to pay sales tax based on actual sale price -=OR=- valuation of the car, whichever is higher.   

[ChadTower]

In MA you have to pay those things in order to register or title the car, whichever you do first.  If you never register or title it, the seller still technically owns it in the state's eyes, and when the next year's excise tax goes out the seller will be liable.  That has happened to me twice, where I sold a car and the new buyer never titled it, so I had to pay the excise tax the next year.

[ahofle]

He should take a picture a baseball on fire, declare a loss of $200K on his taxes, and then keep it under his bed.

[ChadTower]

I don't think you can deduct a loss due to intentional destruction... otherwise every failing business man would be burning down houses and stores.

He could possibly file a theft report and claim a loss from that... but that's a felony and a deduction isn't anything like what he'd get selling it.

[tommy]

If he wanted to keep the ball he should be able to tell the government to piss off. Take it to court and tell them i have no intention of selling this ball and it's a crime that i am being forced to pay taxes on it. Then, if he waives his right to sell the ball it can never be sold in the future by him. Then, keep track of the ball (it won't be hard to do that) when and if he decides to sell it later on then he would pay the tax.


Who are they to charge taxes on an idea? Until he decides to sell the ball it's just ball, not money that is taxable.

[Ed_McCarron]

Right, but that's an average car, not one with collectable value above blue book.

And usually those $0 or $1 sales are specific exceptions for passing a car to family member... in MA, you used to be able to sell a car for $1 with no taxes to a relative.  Can't do that anymore, though.

This is one of my pet peeves.  Why should you be taxed on a car that the govm't has already been paid taxes for?

[boykster]

Right, but that's an average car, not one with collectable value above blue book.

And usually those $0 or $1 sales are specific exceptions for passing a car to family member... in MA, you used to be able to sell a car for $1 with no taxes to a relative.  Can't do that anymore, though.

This is one of my pet peeves.  Why should you be taxed on a car that the govm't has already been paid taxes for?

I totally agree....there shouldn't be sales tax on the sale of used items.  period.  Sales tax should be collected once, and only once.

[shardian]

Right, but that's an average car, not one with collectable value above blue book.

And usually those $0 or $1 sales are specific exceptions for passing a car to family member... in MA, you used to be able to sell a car for $1 with no taxes to a relative.  Can't do that anymore, though.

This is one of my pet peeves.  Why should you be taxed on a car that the govm't has already been paid taxes for?

I totally agree....there shouldn't be sales tax on the sale of used items.  period.  Sales tax should be collected once, and only once.

Well if we did away with all of the illegal and unnecessary taxations levied against us, well then the government would have to learn how to be fiscally responsible. We all know there is one thing that the government is absolutely NOT good at, and that is fiscal responsibility. Why should they be when they can just create more taxes to pay the difference?

[Chris G]

I think it would have been funny if the guy had just thrown the ball back on the field.

Expensive joke, but funny.

[billf]

I think it would have been funny if the guy had just thrown the ball back on the field.

Expensive joke, but funny.

If that happened, I think a soccer riot would have broken out at a baseball game.

[ahofle]

We all know there is one thing that the government is absolutely NOT good at, and that is fiscal responsibility. Why should they be when they can just create more taxes to pay the difference?

Pay the difference? 

http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/