Off Topic Part Deux

[Carlawarla 1]

They have some very very odd tax practices here in the U.S. I must say.

Interestingly, when we registered our car here in Florida, we knew we had to pay based on 'fair market value'. So my Husband looked up the bluebook price etc etc

We go along to the registry place and she says what is the fair market value - and I don't remember how the rest of the conversation went - but she explained that to them 'fair market value' was not the blue book, or any other price - it was what WE thought was a 'fair' price

Ok, well that worked for us!!

Yes, and that's just a registration fee! We will also have to register our vehicle and pay the sales tax on it to the licensing bureau. You don't pay it to the dealer, which is different than in Canada. Think it's 7% here. This is addition to the personal property tax, yearly. We'll not have to pay the PPT on the new vehicle until Dec 31 of 2009. I think it's a percentage of the fair market value, but I'm not sure if that's correct.

[trailmix 77]

Yes, and that's just a registration fee! We will also have to register our vehicle and pay the sales tax on it to the licensing bureau. You don't pay it to the dealer, which is different than in Canada. Think it's 7% here. This is addition to the personal property tax, yearly. We'll not have to pay the PPT on the new vehicle until Dec 31 of 2009. I think it's a percentage of the fair market value, but I'm not sure if that's correct.

It just makes you shake your head doesn't it!

[JillA 2]

We're going to Barrie today and going to eat at the Mandarin, I freakin love the Mandarin!

Then we're gonna go to be mall rats in Barrie. There is SO much snow here right now! I can't believe it! It hasn't been this bad in years.

Mandarin!! MMMMM that is the best buffet place ever.

[trailmix 77]

Oh and I thought this was funny.

So I was playing World of Warcraft last night and I was talking to this girl in our group (she and her BF live in NC). She said that if McCain had been voted in as president that she would have moved to Canada.

I said, well you can go there, but they will throw you out after 6 months. She said someone told her that you could go and live there for a year and then just apply for citizenship

I said, no, that's just not true, you have to go through immigration - and I said it is the same for Canadian's coming to the U.S. and she said 'Really?'

[thetreble 19]

Oh and I thought this was funny.

So I was playing World of Warcraft last night and I was talking to this girl in our group (she and her BF live in NC). She said that if McCain had been voted in as president that she would have moved to Canada.

I said, well you can go there, but they will throw you out after 6 months. She said someone told her that you could go and live there for a year and then just apply for citizenship

I said, no, that's just not true, you have to go through immigration - and I said it is the same for Canadian's coming to the U.S. and she said 'Really?'

Amazing to me that people just assume borders don't exist. Would you go from England to France and just assume you can become a French citizen?

[Emancipation 2]

So you pay personal property tax on your vehicles each year?

we do here in CT... we have a 2006 honda and we paid over $350.00 last year in property tax on it

[Sprailenes 47]

We're going to Barrie today and going to eat at the Mandarin, I freakin love the Mandarin!

Then we're gonna go to be mall rats in Barrie. There is SO much snow here right now! I can't believe it! It hasn't been this bad in years.

Mandarin!! MMMMM that is the best buffet place ever.

Oh agreed! When I first took my husband there he was nervous because you don't put: Buffet & Awesome in the same sentence together where he is from.

[Emancipation 2]

We're going to Barrie today and going to eat at the Mandarin, I freakin love the Mandarin!

Then we're gonna go to be mall rats in Barrie. There is SO much snow here right now! I can't believe it! It hasn't been this bad in years.

Mandarin!! MMMMM that is the best buffet place ever.

Oh agreed! When I first took my husband there he was nervous because you don't put: Buffet & Awesome in the same sentence together where he is from.

OH oh .. i've been to Mandarin in Hamilton... mmmmmmmmmm yummers.. it's an experience not a buffet!!

[SpiritAlight 1]

Yes, and that's just a registration fee! We will also have to register our vehicle and pay the sales tax on it to the licensing bureau. You don't pay it to the dealer, which is different than in Canada. Think it's 7% here. This is addition to the personal property tax, yearly. We'll not have to pay the PPT on the new vehicle until Dec 31 of 2009. I think it's a percentage of the fair market value, but I'm not sure if that's correct.

It just makes you shake your head doesn't it!

Hmmmm....anybody else here wondering that when you add it all up, I mean in a big way, and I am not meaning to include present financial disaster to this equation...where was I? Oh yeah, when you add it all up, I was starting to believe that it is way cheaper to live in Canada; even expensive places like Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal (in that order).

On the surface I used to think that life was more affordable in the U.S. (not including place like Manhattan, etc.).

Maybe that was how it was a decade and more ago.

Thoughts?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

My husband has worked out the different details and yes, when you add in all of the extra little taxes and user fees (ie. medical care) it is cheaper to live in Canada on a day to day basis - at least it would be for us. Different incomes would have different tax brackets involved. Some things are cheaper here, some things are more expensive, but tax wise it kind of breaks down to almost equal- and the quality of life is definitely better back in Canada.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Oh and I thought this was funny.

So I was playing World of Warcraft last night and I was talking to this girl in our group (she and her BF live in NC). She said that if McCain had been voted in as president that she would have moved to Canada.

I said, well you can go there, but they will throw you out after 6 months. She said someone told her that you could go and live there for a year and then just apply for citizenship

I said, no, that's just not true, you have to go through immigration - and I said it is the same for Canadian's coming to the U.S. and she said 'Really?'

An acquaintance of ours just went through this. She packed her car, sold her belongings and moved in with her Canadian boyfriend last July. Returning from a trip to the US last month they were stopped at the border. She thought that the Canadian government would understand their serious intentions because they are living together and she would be allowed to stay without any sort of documentation (even though she was informed about immigrations processes and categories). She was given 2 weeks to pack her bags and move out. She moved last week to Belllingham, Washington just across the border from her Vancouverite boyfriend. Her boyfriend's father is a lawyer and he even advised them that they would have no problems because they were living together!

[Krikit 1,164]

I'm horribly sick with a cold. Got it on Saturday and feeling really awful. Hope it's gone by Christmas.

I hope you are feeling better soon, Carla.

Thanks for the Birthday wishes all (mine was on Saturday) and happy belated b'day Mephys!

D'oh! But we got cake!

We bought a new car on Saturday.Because of the personal property tax on vehicles in your possession on the 31st of December, we're not taking delivery until January 2nd.

Here's what we bought, and in this exact same colour as well.

Oh wow. Congratulations on the car, Carla. (Hey. You could name your car Carla. Or Carlo? lol) It's really nice. Plus you won't have any trouble finding it in the snow! What is it?

They have some very very odd tax practices here in the U.S. I must say.

Interestingly, when we registered our car here in Florida, we knew we had to pay based on 'fair market value'. So my Husband looked up the bluebook price etc etc

We go along to the registry place and she says what is the fair market value - and I don't remember how the rest of the conversation went - but she explained that to them 'fair market value' was not the blue book, or any other price - it was what WE thought was a 'fair' price

Ha ha. I was told they were taxing me based on the blue book value and if I wanted to dispute it I had to write a letter explaining why. I love how these government bodies make up their own rules office to office.

Oh and I thought this was funny.

So I was playing World of Warcraft last night and I was talking to this girl in our group (she and her BF live in NC). She said that if McCain had been voted in as president that she would have moved to Canada.

I said, well you can go there, but they will throw you out after 6 months. She said someone told her that you could go and live there for a year and then just apply for citizenship

I said, no, that's just not true, you have to go through immigration - and I said it is the same for Canadian's coming to the U.S. and she said 'Really?'

I love stories like that.

So you pay personal property tax on your vehicles each year?

we do here in CT... we have a 2006 honda and we paid over $350.00 last year in property tax on it

*scratches Conneticut from list of places to live*

An acquaintance of ours just went through this. She packed her car, sold her belongings and moved in with her Canadian boyfriend last July. Returning from a trip to the US last month they were stopped at the border. She thought that the Canadian government would understand their serious intentions because they are living together and she would be allowed to stay without any sort of documentation (even though she was informed about immigrations processes and categories). She was given 2 weeks to pack her bags and move out. She moved last week to Belllingham, Washington just across the border from her Vancouverite boyfriend. Her boyfriend's father is a lawyer and he even advised them that they would have no problems because they were living together!

I love that they gave her 2 weeks to pack her bags and move. The Americans would have just told her to go away and shut the door.

Edited December 22, 2008 by Krikit

[Emancipation 2]

So you pay personal property tax on your vehicles each year?

we do here in CT... we have a 2006 honda and we paid over $350.00 last year in property tax on it

*scratches Conneticut from list of places to live*

Gal I could give you SOOOOO many better reasons why you should never live here

traffic, Martha Stewart, rude & aggressive drivers... and on and on and on...

[The_Dude 1,142]

Oh and I thought this was funny.

So I was playing World of Warcraft last night and I was talking to this girl in our group (she and her BF live in NC). She said that if McCain had been voted in as president that she would have moved to Canada.

I said, well you can go there, but they will throw you out after 6 months. She said someone told her that you could go and live there for a year and then just apply for citizenship

I said, no, that's just not true, you have to go through immigration - and I said it is the same for Canadian's coming to the U.S. and she said 'Really?'

LoL, the realm that Mel and I play on is the opposite. Trade chat is just out of control with political discussion. Because that is where you get serious substantive political discourse.... on a video game with half retarded 15 year olds. >.<

Yes, and that's just a registration fee! We will also have to register our vehicle and pay the sales tax on it to the licensing bureau. You don't pay it to the dealer, which is different than in Canada. Think it's 7% here. This is addition to the personal property tax, yearly. We'll not have to pay the PPT on the new vehicle until Dec 31 of 2009. I think it's a percentage of the fair market value, but I'm not sure if that's correct.

It just makes you shake your head doesn't it!

Hmmmm....anybody else here wondering that when you add it all up, I mean in a big way, and I am not meaning to include present financial disaster to this equation...where was I? Oh yeah, when you add it all up, I was starting to believe that it is way cheaper to live in Canada; even expensive places like Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal (in that order).

On the surface I used to think that life was more affordable in the U.S. (not including place like Manhattan, etc.).

Maybe that was how it was a decade and more ago.

Thoughts?

From my point of view, it's cheaper to live here in Southern California. I have incredible health insurance and benefits package through my employer, so that mitigates some costs. Now hear me out on this. There are some things that you just can't put a price on. I like snow, but I like 80 degree weather in February even more. Yes, some consumer products are more inexpensive, and by and large, rent and mortgages are less expensive in Canada. But can you really put a price on not having to put chains or snow tires on, or never having to shovel your driveway and walkway?

[thetreble 19]

So you pay personal property tax on your vehicles each year?

we do here in CT... we have a 2006 honda and we paid over $350.00 last year in property tax on it

*scratches Conneticut from list of places to live*

Gal I could give you SOOOOO many better reasons why you should never live here

traffic, Martha Stewart, rude & aggressive drivers... and on and on and on...

And that is why we call those people in CT "Connecticu*ts"

Man you should hear all the names we have for people here that I have learned from my Jersey friends..my favourite is people from Mass. When they are driving in Jersey and you spot them, you gotta say "oh look at that masshole"

I've realized people in NJ are too mean for their own good.

Edited December 22, 2008 by thetreble