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On Your Side: Virginia Vehicle Property Tax
posted 5:45 pm Tue September 09, 2008
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ANCHOR:
IT'S A TOUGH TIME TO OWN A BIG RIG IN VIRGINIA. SUV OWNERS ARE GETTING HIT WITH STICKER SHOCK OVER PROPERTY TAXES ON THEIR VEHICLES AND IT COULDN'T COME AT A WORSE TIME. 7 ON YOUR SIDE'S ROSS MCLAUGHLIN INVESTIGATES.
ROSS:
IT'S A TRIPLE WHAMMY. IT COSTS MORE TO FILL THEM UP, FORCING THEIR VALUE DOWN, BUT PROPERTY TAXES ON THESE VEHICLES ARE THROUGH THE ROOF. SOME CONSUMERS SAY THEY'RE BEING TAKEN FOR A RIDE.
STORY:
Rockie Akhavan: "I'm mad I'm pissed."
YUP. THAT PRETTY MUCH SUMS IT UP.
Ross: "Since they're taking you for a ride, why don't you take me for one."
IN HIS 2005 HUMMER. FANCY RIDE BUT...
Rockie Akhavan: "Right now dealers won't even take these cars as a trade in."
AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM. THESE BIG RIGS ARE LOSING VALUE FAST. JUST DRIVE AROUND. YOU SEEM THEM ON LOTS EVERYWHERE.
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 » PW County Vehicle Property Tax Information |
Auto Sales Employee: "Ah Yeah."
Rockie Akhavan: "All these vehicles have dropped big time."
YET THE COUNTY HAS ASSESSED ROCKIE'S HUMMER AT 34 GRAND. THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS MORE THAN KELLY BLUE BOOK EBAY OR ANYWHERE ELSE HE'S LOOKED, MEANING HIS TAXES ARE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS MORE.
Rockie Akhavan: "This is not fair at all. Please fix it."
Chris Martino/Finance Director: "Isn't that ridiculous?"
Ross: "What's that?"
Chris Martino/Finance Director: "Anyone who's owning a Hummer complaining about anything?"
CHRIS MARTINO FINANCE DIRECTOR FOR PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY ISN'T SYMPATHETIC.
Chris Martino/Finance Director: "We work straight from the NADA book."
THIS BOOK - THE NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION WHICH, IN ROCKIE'S CASE, IS HIGHER VALUE THAN KELLY BLUE BOOK.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY HAS USED IT FOR YEARS AND ACCORDING TO VIRGINIA LAW, MUST ASSESS ALL VEHICLES BASED ON JANUARY FIRST PRICES EVEN THOUGH PRICES ON SUV'S HAVE FALLEN.
Chris Martino/Finance Director: "That's frequently the concern we have expressed is the timing."
ROCKIE HOPES COME JANUARY NEXT YEAR HIS ASSESSMENT REFLECTS A MORE REALISTIC VALUE.
Rockie Akhavan: "And that's the way it is. There's nothing I can do about it."
ROSS:
THERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO. YOU CAN APPEAL IF YOUR VEHICLE IS IN BAD REPAIR OR HAS EXTREMELY HIGH MILEAGE. OR TO MAKE IT REALLY FAIR, YOU CAN LOBBY YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO CHANGE THE LAW SO THAT ASSESSMENTS ARE BASED ON AN AVERAGE YEARLY VALUES USING THE AVERAGE PRICES PULLED FROM BOTH THESE RECOGNIZED PRICING GUIDES - NADA AND KELLEY BLUE BOOK.
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ABC 7 Talkback: On Your Side: Virginia Vehicle Property Tax
petty
3:21 am on 10/23/08
Vehicle property tax has been getting worst every now and then. It costs us much and that quite makes us err about it. The point is what the government can do about it? And what the car owners might do as well. For me, plasticolor hypermiling would be my action.
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