Steve Laifman wrote:
>
> Regarding the two messages about car registration in CA, I would like to point
> out a few pitfalls. Dick said " I lived in Tennessee for a few years and it
>was
> registered there."
>
> In this case, Tennessee would have taken possession of the original CA plates
> ti issue theirs. If you don't have the original plates and registration
> certificate you must re-register your car as a Tennessee registration.
>
> If Tim still has the CA paper and plates, as if he didn't re-register, he
>would
> still have had to notify the CA DMV with a certificate of non operability.
>This
> would not remove the requirement to pay the annual personal property and
> registration fee, but would extend his smog certification till the car is
> operable. Then the DMV would issue a one day pass for inspection. Meanwhile,
> cars without current tags are not allowed to be on public streets, even parked
> in front of your own home.
>
> Lastly, while exemption for smog has been extended for brand-new cars, and
> older cars, the bill passed because it was "revenue neutral". The shortfall in
> smog certificate income to the state was made up by charging a special tax of
> about $300-$400 to bring a car into CA, and the new car exemption was only
>for
> testing for the first four years, you are still required to pay a fee in-lieu
> of the certificate cost.
>
> No free lunch, sorry.
>
> Steve
>
> BTW: This is NOT as legal opinion, just my recollection of the newspaper
> articles on the subject. It is possible that I have misstated something.
>
> One more passing comment. I just had my '71 Hand Crafted special, registered
>as
> a Volkswagen because of the chassis VIN, and was shown a slip of paper, now in
> renewal certificates, allowing the effectivity of the new regulations to be
> immediate. You don't have to get a smog check, if your car would be exempt by
> Jan 1, and you are due now. Nice to learn AFTER I paid for the inspection and
> certificate.
>
Only two comments Steve,
1.) It wasn't my car. I only answered in response to Derricks question.
2.) The $300 charge for bringing a car into the state has been in place
for many years. In 1994 I moved from Montana to CA with a $600 shock
when I went down to the DMV to register the cars. Some crap about the
poor California drivers who had to put $10.00 extra smog on their cars
for all these years. All I could think of was the poor Montana kids who
couldn't afford the ranch next door (or even 10 acres up in the hills)
because of all the poor Californians who sold their overpriced track
houses and jacked up the real estate market in the Bitteroot to unreal
levels. I have heard there is a law suite against the state of CA to
refund all these fees as being unconstitutional. Anybody hear anything
about that?
tim
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