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Gary Carmichael
07-15-2012, 10:12 AM
Well, as of August 1st I will have 60 days to decide where to claim my residence. We sold our primary residence in N.C. have looked at several options. Of course V.A. is an option since I have a home here, but also Fla is too! where am I going to spend most of my time? I guess there is a six months rule that applies to give you residence status. There are several things to consider, taxes, insurance etc, I even talked to an attorney in Montana thinking of registering my coach there and declare V,A, as residence. but honestly it would be hard to be in either place six months with all the traveling we do! Insurance goes like this apples for apples same company quoting. V.A. 3700.00 Fla 5800.00 Montana 4800.00 it was 4200.00 in N.C. Taxes V.A. 1.71 per hundred declining 10 percent per year, Fla wins in this category, Any suggestions want to register to vote as soon as possible wherever we claim residence Thanks Gary

Woody
07-15-2012, 11:54 AM
We just sold our Maine home (2 weeks) and have established Florida as our permanent "voting" residence. Without a doubt FL is the best for taxes across the board.

Gil_J
07-15-2012, 12:41 PM
As long as you have ownered your coach for at least 6 months FL does not levy a use tax when you bring it in. You will have to pay about $200 for a new tag + registration, so it's a really good deal. As you know there's no income tax. What you may not know is that some upscale communities will include a Community Development District tax that is collected with your real estate tax. I live in a pretty nice community with canals and nice community building, pool and sich. In my community, the CDD levy almost equals my real estate tax.

Gary Carmichael
07-16-2012, 07:59 AM
Florida is the logical place to call home, have owned the bus for three years, the only problem that we have now is the mail forwarding. USPS can not get it right! I will be in Fla for 6months and V.A. for 6 months in the summer. We travel when in Fla and Virginia and mail is a major problem! couple more questions, Do you have coach inspections like we did in N.C. Are there any special drivers license requirements, Gil you obviously have a home there, Tad do you call a motor coach resort home? We own in Riverbend and would call that home. Thanks for the replies Gary

Gil_J
07-17-2012, 12:45 AM
We relocated to FL from VA a year ago. FL has no special provisions for driver's licensing for an RV of any weight. FL has no vehicle inspections, except at time of initial registration. At the time of initial registration your VIN has to be verified. This can be done by a sheriff or licensed vehicle dealer.

As for the USPS forwarding, I haven't had any problems yet. You should be able to have mail forwarded on a temporary basis to your VA address from you permanent FL address. They will not allow you to keep changing the temporary addresses. The process is to pick a temporary address (we pick my daughter's house), set the forwarding time, finally cancel forwarding. This same process will have to be done again next year.

Reagan Sirmons
07-17-2012, 12:42 PM
Gil,
The Community Development District tax does not require an upscale community. It is a tax levied to recover the initial outlay for public services that were installed.(sewage, etc.) Normally, the Community Development District bonds are issued with a first lien against the property superior even to the first lien holder prior to the improvements being made. This is probably more than you want to know and the only reason I am somewhat informed on this is that we have tried to used these bonds on a development in Tampa.
Pres

Reagan Sirmons
07-17-2012, 01:01 PM
gary,
I noted your comment about talking to an attorney in Montana about registering the coach there and residing in another state. I encourage you to investigate this very closely because when found out and if prosecuted, this is an evasion of rather than an avoidance of taxes or road use fees. I have worked with the Texas Comtroller's Department regarding Texas coaches registered in Montana. Our law is that if you are a resident of Texas and you bring the coach to Texas for 30 days, you are liable for the road use tax which is a huge number. If stopped in Texas, and your tow car has a different license plate from the coach, you are in hot water. You may be an attorney but in Texas, if you provide inaccurate information to the trooper. he will nail you on the spot. Questions like why are the plates different? Where is your state of residence? If the coach is from Montana, what is it doing in Texas? If you keep the coach in Montana, where are the receits for storage? It gets sticky fast and the fine has an interest rate attached to it. I would verify with the Florida Comptroller's Dept their actual requirements. It is our understanding that in one such case that was settled by a man from Florida not only did they hit him for his current coach, they hit him for the one he had sold. I would not take the word of any attorney from Montana. The State of Texas has filed a complaint against these documernt factories and has a list of coach LLc's. Serious stuff. Don't mean to meddle where I am not wanted but the states are well aware of Montana. Connecticutt supposedly fined one man over $200,000. Let me know if you find out something different.
Pres

merle&louise
07-17-2012, 08:02 PM
I posted the response below while discussing Montana LLCs a while back on this forum.


I have a buddy who lives in Colorado; he got the same deal. Boy, was he afraid! The state let him go with paying the tax and a small penalty. He was very happy with the outcome because what they originally were going to do was not good!

They were going to value his $200,000 coach at $575,000 - assess the tax on that amount - calculate the penalty and interest on that amount. When he showed some remorse they lightened the burden. He was lucky.

I formed a Montana LLC two years ago. I did so to try to save some tax money on my next coach. I spent $1100 forming the LLC. In view of these developments, I am going to dissolve the LLC and just pay the tax when I buy another coach.

Gary Carmichael
07-17-2012, 10:54 PM
Thanks for the info! I will probably register my coach and my cars and be a resident in Fla and use my V.A. home for summer time I don't think there is a law that says I can't do this. but again if any one knows different please let me know. Thanks gary

Danss
07-18-2012, 07:42 AM
Come on over to Ms. as it cost $74 a year to have my coach legal!

Gary Carmichael
07-18-2012, 08:03 AM
Well, I want to be legal but 10-11 grand a year for vehicle tax does not set well with me! since I sold my primary residence just have to decde if it will be Fla or V.A where I spend most of my time when not traveling, how do full timers do it? They have to have a place to register their coach and car and vote etc? gary

CAPT MOGUL & Sandy
07-18-2012, 08:33 AM
;)You probably could use a Prevost shop address & be more accurate since this is where alot of our time is spent!
Sandy

edsaylor
07-18-2012, 09:24 AM
I had a Montana LLC for several years, but became afraid of it some two and a half years ago. I found that Florida has a special rule or law that says if an LLC is dissolved, you can take the letter of dissolution to the Florida license bureau in your county along with the inspection form from the police (they came to my RV lot for the inspection) and proof of Florida insurance and register your coach in FL with no sales tax as the law says a dissolved LLC can transfer motor homes, trailers, boats, vehicles, etc. to an owner of the LLC with no tax due. They call it a gift. You only pay an impact fee one time of $250 to $300 and the tag fee. My tag was just renewed for a year at $52. I have owned a lot in the Outdoor Resort at Port St. Lucie for over 10 years. The DMV uses my address there for my FL address, but sends my renewal, sticker, etc. to my home address in MS. I use the coach primarily in Florida. I own RV lots in FL, SC, and GA and spend several months per year in the different states. I have never had a problem that I have different tags from the state I am in. I think they are only after Montana tags.

merle&louise
07-18-2012, 09:54 AM
You know it is odd, there are 4 other states that have no sales tax! If someone were really serious about beating the tax they could simply form a LLC in one of these other states.

Alaska, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Oregon have no sales tax. If a Montana plate raises a red flag to law enforcement just register your purchase in one of these states!

Maybe some POGGERS from these states could chime in and let us know the skinny on this situation.

RonAltman
07-18-2012, 09:58 AM
Thanks for the info! I will probably register my coach and my cars and be a resident in Fla and use my V.A. home for summer time I don't think there is a law that says I can't do this. but again if any one knows different please let me know. Thanks gary

Lived in Virginia all my life, after retiring I simply got tired of paying all of the of State Income Taxes and Personal Property Taxes. We now reside in Florida and have summer property outside Galax, VA. For us, this combination works great... After 10 years I can only think of a few negatives about Florida as a residence: Our vehicle insurance went up, sales tax on the purchase price of a motor home will hit you at 6+%, and all the $%&@ lizards running around.

Gil_J
07-18-2012, 02:58 PM
Gary, your only risk to the split FL/VA plan is that your VA county may levy personal property tax on RVs. Not all do, but those that do are getting tough on collections given the economy. In most VA counties that levy a PP tax, the requirements for paying are either you have the property in the county for more than 179 days or immediately appove arrival if you don't pay property tax to another tax jurisdicition. The boating community is being hammered more on this than RVs because it's easy to tell were a boat is given there are only so many marinas, but expect stronger enforsement for RVs.

JIM CHALOUPKA
07-20-2012, 09:30 AM
Gary, you asked about mail. If you already belong to FMCA, give them a call and get the particulars from the horses mouth, if not....JOIN.

The FMCA mail forwarding service is "very good" as is Escapees of TX and other services found in SD.

If you want more info ask.

JIM :)

Gil_J
07-20-2012, 12:46 PM
Jim,

I'm pretty sure FMCA discontinued their mail forwarding service. If they did not, there was no evidence of the service on their web page earlier in the year. If you can get by with forwarding your mail to a single address for a defined period, use the postal service's temporary forwarding service. It's free!

JIM CHALOUPKA
07-20-2012, 01:57 PM
Jim,

I'm pretty sure FMCA discontinued their mail forwarding service. If they did not, there was no evidence of the service on their web page earlier in the year. If you can get by with forwarding your mail to a single address for a defined period, use the postal service's temporary forwarding service. It's free!

I am presently using FMCA mail forwarding and have been.

JIM

Gary Carmichael
07-20-2012, 10:20 PM
I am a member of FMCA have been for years but have not tried there mail forwarding will check into it ! Thanks gary

CAPT MOGUL & Sandy
07-21-2012, 10:22 AM
In the last & recent FMCA magazine, I read where they have totally updated their mail forwarding process. It use to be all done by hand and now using latest technology. So, I know they still have it.
Sandy

Gil_J
07-21-2012, 01:08 PM
Jim,

I should have checked first. Here's the link: http://www.fmca.com/join-family-motor-coach-association/benefits/65-mail-forwarding-service

tskrodzki
08-08-2012, 10:13 AM
gary,
I noted your comment about talking to an attorney in Montana about registering the coach there and residing in another state. I encourage you to investigate this very closely because when found out and if prosecuted, this is an evasion of rather than an avoidance of taxes or road use fees. I have worked with the Texas Comtroller's Department regarding Texas coaches registered in Montana. Our law is that if you are a resident of Texas and you bring the coach to Texas for 30 days, you are liable for the road use tax which is a huge number. If stopped in Texas, and your tow car has a different license plate from the coach, you are in hot water. You may be an attorney but in Texas, if you provide inaccurate information to the trooper. he will nail you on the spot. Questions like why are the plates different? Where is your state of residence? If the coach is from Montana, what is it doing in Texas? If you keep the coach in Montana, where are the receits for storage? It gets sticky fast and the fine has an interest rate attached to it. I would verify with the Florida Comptroller's Dept their actual requirements. It is our understanding that in one such case that was settled by a man from Florida not only did they hit him for his current coach, they hit him for the one he had sold. I would not take the word of any attorney from Montana. The State of Texas has filed a complaint against these documernt factories and has a list of coach LLc's. Serious stuff. Don't mean to meddle where I am not wanted but the states are well aware of Montana. Connecticutt supposedly fined one man over $200,000. Let me know if you find out something different.
Pres

That was not pleasant to read since I have a Montana Tag in my bus and have residence in MA. When I bought the coach the dealer suggested starting a family LLC and getting a lifetime registration through Montana. Now to figure out what to do. Ugghh

tommybahama96
08-08-2012, 03:17 PM
Just my two cents here.

I formed a Montana LLC to avoid DC's 8 percent excise tax. We travel all over North America in a coach with Montana plates and tow a car with DC plates. We've had no problems at international borders or in rest stops patrolled by state police. I'm thinking that we're OK whenever we travel outside our home state. With probable cause, Texas or Colorado or Connecticut can check the registrations and insurance policies on our vehicles but they cannot legally levy fines or collect taxes on behalf of another state.

Apropos of best tax havens. Alaska, hands down. No personal income tax, no sales tax in most jurisdictions, forgiveness of property taxes once you turn 65. Best of all, an annual check for permanent residents from the state's oil and gas royalties.

Reagan Sirmons
08-08-2012, 03:34 PM
I was not implying that Texas would levy a fine against an outsider with different plates. I was providing the example of what a home state trooper can do to an offender if obviously found out in his/her home state. With all due respect, they do not use the term "avoid" in Texas. It is an "evasion" of the RST (road use tax) levied by the State of Texas. If false information is provided to the Trooper, it is considered "obstruction". Obviously ths is a personal deal by deal situation. These vehicles used on the public highways have a place because they are supporting the tax burdens of the states in which they are used by paying their appropriate share of the costs of maintenance, etc. That is the theory anyway. In the case of the gentleman form MA, perhaps he could call on his Senator Kerry who just last year was found to have his sailing yacht moored in MA yet registered out of state. What a deal.
Respectfully,
Pres

Gary Carmichael
08-08-2012, 07:50 PM
Well, here is the way it came down! Got my voter card and concealed permit for V.A. While at the tax collectors office I straight out asked what to do about the bus, Told them I was registering my auto's and getting new V.A. titles, and wondered about the bus. She asked when did I usually take it to florida, I said late October till first of May. She said if the coach will be in Florida the first of January then it needs to be registered in Florida, I told her the bus would be back in V.A. during the summer but I traveled in the summer also so would be gone a few weeks in the summer. Again she said register it in Florida! So I have contacted Hendry Co Tax Collectors office and have all the necessary paper work in route to them as I type this. They will have it Thursday, They were easy to work with. So I will have a Florida tag and registration on the bus and V.A. tags on the tow and V.A. drivers license. Just doing as I was told! Gary

Gil_J
08-08-2012, 09:37 PM
Gary,

The person at the tag office in VA doesn't know what she's talking about. What she is likely making reference to is that VA has this thing about anything in the tax jurisdiction on Jan 1 is liable for personal property taxes for that year. Although the ruls may have changed and I doubt it, VA says it levies personal property taxes based on the Jan 1 book value. It also says that any vehicle in the tax jurisdiction for more than 179 or 180 days (I forget which) is liable for personal property taxes. Finally, the VA rules say that you are obligated to pay personal property taxes on the day the vehicle, boat, or plane arrive in the tax jurisdiction if you aren't already paying personal property taxes elsewhere. A bit of a disclaimer here. Personal property taxes are administered by the tax jurisdicition, usually the county. They are not uniform in their rules or tax rates, but generally follow what I've written. If you want the straight scoop you can either look at the tax code or call the actual tax collector, not an office worker.

If I was you I'd register everything in FL and have FL driver's licenses. You have real estate in FL, so why not? FL charges no use tax for a vehicle brought into the state more than 6 months after being registered elsewhere. You only have tags and annual registration after that. You will pay slightly higher vehicle insurance, but it's not much.

Just my 2 cents,

Gary Carmichael
08-09-2012, 12:05 PM
Gil, The coach is currently registered in N.C. and I pay property tax on it there, It will only be in V.A. about 120 days a year if that, and I was talking to THE tax collector. My thinking is we will only motor home about five more years, since I am 70 now but in good health, at that time we will sell the florida property and reside full time here on the farm in V.A. This way I will not have to re register cars and all the other stuff social security Ins etc. If I were going to be making my residence in Florida when we stop motor home travel, I would do exactly as you suggest .I hope this works out alright what do you think of my long term plan? Gary