Kerry: Taxes are for thee, not for me
Yacht owners in Massachusetts are obligated to pay a 6.25% luxury tax for their fancy floating homes. Well, unless their name is John Kerry, apparently (Boston Herald link);
Isabel – Kerry’s luxe, 76-foot New Zealand-built Friendship sloop with an Edwardian-style, glossy varnished teak interior, two VIP main cabins and a pilothouse fitted with a wet bar and cold wine storage – was designed by Rhode Island boat designer Ted Fontaine.
But instead of berthing the vessel in Nantucket, where the senator summers with the missus, Teresa Heinz, Isabel’s hailing port is listed as “Newport” on her stern.
According to the Boston Herald, Kerry avoids paying the $437,500 tax and the annual $70k excise tax if he maintains the registry in Rhode Island and keeps out of Massachusetts waters for six months.
This arrogant prick almost became President. Sinking wind farms in view og his mansions and avoiding taxes paid by only the rich shouldn’t endear John Kerry to Mass voters.
But we veterans knew what kind of creep he was in 2004.
Thanks to Sparky for the link.
Category: Liberals suck
This might sound strange but you know what? Good for him, I’m for anyone finding the loopholes that allow them to dodge excess taxes. Yes, he’s a hypocrite, but he’s showing how work the system, no reason others with big boats can’t do the same. It’s no different than the trucking companies that keep their fleets registered in states with the lowest registration fees and taxes, just smart business. The same with serious RV’rs.
Jacobite;
I’d agree with you if he was lobbying in the Senate for an extension of the Bush tax cuts for the rest of us.
I disagree with you on this, I’m afraid. We all live according to our means. I can afford a house; I pay taxes on my house. Ditto my income; ditto my car. I have hobbies that I pay membership fees for, and part of those fees go for the property taxes of the clubs I belong to. The taxes and fees I pay support the lifestyle I can afford.
If Kerry can afford a boat, it would stand to reason he can pay the taxes on it. Those taxes help support his lifestyle. Ducking those taxes means less support, and someone else picks up his responsibility. He doesn’t have to own a boat, and he doesn’t have to pay the taxes for a boat. If he does decide to own a boat, however, he needs to take up his obligation to pay the taxes all similar owners face — and most likely, pay.
Actually, we knew what kind of creep he was/is back in 1972.
#3 Peaceful disagreement is a cornerstone of our society, no problem at all. 🙂
“Ducking those taxes means less support, and someone else picks up his responsibility”.
I’ll make the case that the taxes are prohibitive and unnecessary and in the absence of the political power needed to overturn them, they shouldn’t be paid, those that do pay them are simply contributing to the problem. The “responsible” thing to do would be to NOT burden the wealthy with stupid luxury taxes thereby weakening their discretionary spending powers, spending that most often benefits our free market economy.
Finding a legal way to avoid getting screwed, as he seems to have done, is all the better.
Question for you, should trucking companies register their fleets in states with higher taxes and fees? And another, should RV owners be forced to register their vehicles in states with higher taxes and fees?
Using your logic both of these groups should be called to the carpet as well. Ain’t gonna happen.
#5 Jacobite:
You make a good point about onerous taxes; my only reservation would be that we should fight to abolish unfair taxes, not hide from them. I say this, of course, knowing that I’ve never seen any tax actually abolished (reduced, frozen, re-distributed, maybe, but never abolished.)
About the trucking companies and RV owners: I would prefer to see them registered in the state of their physical location or residency. If a company’s headquarters is located in Alabama, then they should pay Alabama taxes. If they are an RV owner with a residency in New York State, then they should pay those taxes. The reason I feel this way is fairly personal. I live in a state that is a playground of the rich. They buy property here, and because of state law, do not pay taxes on it because they are not residents. Our local cost of living is very odd, in that some things are very inexpensive and some things are astronomical. Land and house prices are outdoors, because of the influence of outside buyers. And yet services are poor, because the tax base isn’t what it needs to be to maintain them adequately. It would help to have our out-of-state owners paying local taxes.
Speaking specifically to your local issue, what types of local survices are suffering in your area? Just curious because Sedona, AZ, the town I live next to, fits the description you’re giving of you’re own local area, but the tax base is so broad on account of the local money here that their services are second to none. I’m also facinated by the idea that someone could own “real property” i.e. realestate, and not be taxed on it just because they don’t live there full time, we tax the property and then deny them certain benefits of perminent residency here.
Christ, I really need to slow down and spell check more often. My apologees for the typos above. 🙂
Silly people, don’t you know taxes are for the “little people”? And this from the same party whose #2 (in more ways than one) claimed that paying taxes was patriotic.
Let’s put it another way–if I were a Maine or Massachusetts resident, could I buy a car in NH, keep it there for six months, then register it in either state to avoid the taxes? Better yet–do you think for one damned second the “commonwealth” of Mass or state of Maine is going to let me get away with that shit? We just had to pass a law here in NH telling Mass to get fucked when it came to forcing (yes, FORCING) our businesses to report to Mass Dept. of Revenue the resident status of people who purchased items in NH. So please, don’t tell me that if they didn’t want to go after Kerry…
Hell, we’re almost to the point (again!) of having MA and ME revenue agents taking down license plates of the cars in the NH liquor stores on I-93 and I-95.
But on a good note: The Maine police departments have reported that domestic violence/assault cases have dropped over 60 percent since Allen’s Coffee Brandy switched over to a plastic bottle…
D’oh–anon #9 was me. Silly me for playing on another computer and forgetting to log in.
#7 Jacobite:
Just a couple of examples:
1. We have snow removal only on main streets in our city; side streets and alleys are not maintained in the winter.
2. Street lamps are maintained by the city only on main streets. Street lamps on side streets are maintained by residents of those streets.
Those are just a couple of examples; and as the city size has increased, the services have increased, also. Not much yet, but some. (Our police department is excellent, despite it’s small size.)
As far as the residency laws…I live in Montana. I tried to look up the state law on non-resident taxes, and what I learned is that they have to file according to their federal gross income. I couldn’t find anything on exemption from the state property taxes, so what I said is now up in the air until I can verify it. (My guess now is that I’ve quoted an Urban Legend. I HATE it when I do that! : (
#9 (NHSparky)As far as your car question, if we buy a car in another state, we have to register that car here within 60 days. I only can tell you that tags for cars here are terrible. As far as taxes on the sale, I have no idea.
Pinto–I have no sales tax in NH, but just paid $400 for registration (on a 2-year old vehicle). Hey, the state’s gonna get their money, one way or another.
NHSparky — That’s about what ours are, also. I agree the state will get its money…
I completely support people using whatever loopholes they need to to avoid ridiculous taxes. Why /should/ the state deserve that money? Vote with your feet (and your wallet).
If New Hampshire makes sensible laws, then New Hampshire gets the business. Not surprising. Up the Free State!
AS–taxes are for “little people”, then? No, he’s a fucking POS hypocrite who thinks WE should be taxed, but sees nothing wrong with avoiding every bit of tax he can. This while the state of MA is billions in the hole and getting worse.
I’m with some of the earlier comments:
= I’m good with Kerry avoiding taxes IF he’s also helping the rest of us (the little people) reduce and eliminate taxes on us as well.
= BUT. . . . WHen he’s pushing for more and higher taxes on the rest of us, while avoiding those same taxes on himself, that’s just out-and-out rank hypocrisy.
= And what about the LibTurd’s attitude that “we’re only going to tax and soak the rich”, while exempting themselves?? W — T — F!!
AS, so to follow your logic, Kerry voted with his feet and wallet? If so, when did he resign from the Senate as a Senator from Massachusetts, and take up residence in Rhode Island? Cuz, if he didn’t, then he’s no better than any other tax cheat, be it a guy smuggling cigarettes from Indiana into Michigan, or the congressman “forgetting” to declare the money he made off his rent-controlled apartments or his hideaway in the Caribbean.