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View Full Version : Goverment Rip Off -Again



Sid Matheny
02-08-2012, 7:44 PM
MURFREESBORO, TN (WSMV-TV) - The Tennessee Department of Revenue is threatening court action against a Murfreesboro man who built a small wooden boat in his garage with his 7-year-old son.

The state says that makes him a boat dealer and subject to paying extra taxes.
The boat is 14 feet long and made of wood. The family ordered the plans over the Internet because 7-year-old Carter loves to fish with his dad.
But when the Kings registered their boat and paid the boat registration fees, the nightmare started.
Letters from the Tennessee Department of Revenue say that because the Kings are boat dealers and manufacturers, they have to pay $539 dollars in taxes on the boat.
Johnathan King thought there was a mistake, so he called the auditor assigned to his case.
"I explained to them that this is just a wooden craft built in the garage, and they indicated that they knew that that was what this was," King says.
Revenue didn't back down from insisting they were dealers, and warned the family the state could get injunctions or even pursue misdemeanor charges if they didn't pay the taxes.
"If we don't, they could file liens and levies against the craft," King says.
"To say it politely, I think it's quite silly," he says.
How could something you build in your own garage for your own use make you a dealer?
We asked the Department of Revenue for an interview. They said they couldn't discuss the cases of individual taxpayers, and said that no one was available to speak about the issue, even in general terms.
Johnathan King says there's no way he's a dealer; this boat is intended to be a family heirloom that will be passed to his son's children.
"It'll never be for sale," he says. "He would be very upset, yes."

Curt Harms
02-09-2012, 8:45 AM
I wonder if there's a media outlet that would be interested in documenting this bit of ........... eh, better not say it. Perhaps a call or letter to their elected representative. It IS an election year after all, and if the representative is a member of the "loyal opposition";) he/she could have a good time with that.

Mac McQuinn
02-09-2012, 4:27 PM
Seems like the lack of a legal paper trail would indicate the problem. No Business license, No Tax license, No Name of Manufacturer, etc. I ran a wooden boat show a few years back with over 80 home built boats in attendance, geeze would these guys be in trouble.

Mac

Jim Creech
02-10-2012, 2:45 PM
I suppose that if you build a picnic table you are now a furniture dealer? A few years ago an elderly lady in Isle of Wight County was charged with operating without a business license. She was baking cakes in her kitchen for sale to neighbors. Things are getting down right silly!!!

Richard Wolf
02-10-2012, 9:23 PM
Of course now that his home owners insurance company knows he is running a business from his home, he'll get screwed from that end.

Curt Harms
02-11-2012, 9:06 AM
I sorta thought that to be running a business you had to have a product for sale and/or expecting to make a profit from the activity. Is there any indication of commercial intent? Sure doesn't sound like it. It sounds like the Peter Principle writ large on the part of some agency.