Re: O.T. Things are getting ugly out there.

Boris Mohar wrote:

On 18 Feb 2006 15:47:34 -0800, Winfield Hill
<Winfield_member@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/16/AR2006021602066.html


This is ugly too:

Driver Responsibility Tax Surprises Out of State Motorist
-------------------------------------------------------
Driver responsibility taxes turn a single out-of-state speeding ticket
into an annual fee.


New laws allow some states to tax drivers annually -- even if they live in
another state -- simply because they received a speeding ticket. One
Connecticut motorist, who asked that his name not be used, discovered this
after driving in October in Niagara Falls, New York. Despite being caught
in what he considered a brazen speed trap -- the speed limit was 45 MPH
where he was caught, but 55 MPH at the same location in the opposite
direction -- he accepted the $155 fine for driving 72 MPH thinking by
paying the matter would be settled.

Last week, however, the state of New York notified him that it now
considers him an "at risk" driver and therefore he must either pay the
state an annual $100 tax or a lump sum of $300.

"Seems to me the low speeding fine was bait for a guilty plea so they
could slap this on me a month or two down the road," the motorist
explained. "I call that entrapment in the first degree."

Driver responsibility taxes were inspired by the insurance industry
practice of turning minor speeding violations into a recurring source of
revenue. Though sold as affecting only "bad drivers" like those convicted
of driving while drunk or on a suspended license, the extra fees kick in
with just a few points on the driving record.

Michigan, New Jersey and Texas also impose this tax, and the idea is
spreading. With a 34-6 vote on Friday, the Virginia state Senate approved
a "bad driver" tax championed by new governor Timothy M. Kaine (D) that is
expected to net $67.2 million in the first year and a total of $401.4
million by 2010. The state House has not yet acted on the measure.--




Infoglut, average citizen / legislator stupidity, and revenue issues are
driving this new, probably illegal / unconstitutional tax schemes.
These are the kinds of things that anti-tax, anti-regulation, and civil
liberty NGO's should be addressing.
This is seriously evil, and possibly ex post facto (thus unconstitutional)
regulation. Also it can be fought (though probably to no good effect) on
interstate commerce issues.
--
JosephKK
Gegen dummheit kampfen Die Gotter Selbst, vergebens.
--Shiller
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: F1s flags of convenience
    ... the UK effectively becomes a tax haven ... its only words but the FIA ... Each driver has to have a superlicence which, AFAIK, is ... Jenson has a British superlicence. ...
    (rec.autos.sport.f1)
  • Re: O.T. Things are getting ugly out there.
    ... Driver Responsibility Tax Surprises Out of State Motorist ... Driver responsibility taxes turn a single out-of-state speeding ticket into ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: Driver Responsibility Tax - The gift that keeps on giving
    ... Driver Responsibility Tax Surprises Out of State Motorist ... Driver responsibility taxes turn a single out-of-state speeding ticket ...
    (rec.autos.driving)
  • Re: Vista has got to be the worst os ever released!
    ... So it's a Verisign "tax" at worst. ... I'm not sure what you mean by "registering your driver" but M$ Driver ... Signing is very involved and very expensive which is why most hardware ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • Re: blind man fined
    ... A deaf and blind man has said he was shocked after police issued him ... with a speeding ticket. ... it said the *driver* would be fined and pointed. ...
    (uk.rec.driving)
Quantcast