Fretting about my 'big, costly mistake'

As noted in my last column, I bought a Toyota Highlander in December to replace my aging Town Car, to mixed applause.  

Big mistake? Read on. True, it probably cost me a lot more than if I had really bargained hard with Paul Jones, my friendly neighbor and ace salesman at Rosner Toyota here in North Stafford. 

But that’s not what I’m talking about. And it’s not because a few friends criticized my switch from an American brand, even though most of the Toyota Highlanders are assembled in the United States. (Mine wasn’t, I must confess, but the folks at the dealer’s showroom say that some buyers demand such vehicles specifically assembled in Japan, thinking they’re better. We’ll see.) 

Where was I? Oh yes, my big mistake. Earlier I had attended a meeting of our Aquia Board of Directors when two county supervisors rallied area boat owners to urge the county board to do away with the Stafford boat tax. 

So? Well, you see, some owners of larger boats are chafing about what they consider an oppresive county tax on their boats, collectible each year based on Jan. 1 valuations. Many county boaters simply tow their boats up to Prince William County before then and escape the Stafford tax. 

As Aquia Supervisor Paul Milde noted at the meeting, “Our neighbor to the north, Prince William County, long ago determined that the benefit of having no boat tax outweighed that of having one. They now reap the rewards of increased real estate taxes, fuel taxes, service industry jobs and many other tax and job-generating activities from Stafford boaters.

 “Stafford's board of supervisors has only recently indicated that they are willing to study this issue... [involving] the $800,000 collected annually. The University of Mary Washington is conducting a study and we expect results to be in before the board of supervisors discusses and sets the 2012-2013 tax rates in April... We have never been closer to our goal than we are now...” 

Stafford should surely kill or reduce the tax on boats, just as they did recently on airplanes: our airport is quickly filling up as a consequence. 

Where was I? Oh yes, my big mistake. Like the big, dumb old retiree with accelerating dementia that I am, I bought the Toyota. When? in December. DUMB. Had I waited a few days until after Jan. 1, I would have had a full year before I would have had to pay the much higher taxes on my Toyota than the old ’04 Town Car. Right?

A phone call to county Commissioner of the Revenue Scott Mayausky’s office was both informative and deflating. The nice lady told me in so many words that it makes no difference when I buy a car here. They prorate the taxable take. She also said that boaters shouldn’t be hiding their boats elsewhere to avoid Stafford taxes. If her office finds out, they’ll get nailed.

So alas, there went another neat column. But at least, my ignorance didn’t cost me a lot of money, at least this time.

Ben Blankenship, a long-time journalist, has lived in Aquia Harbour for 34 years. Reach him at info@staffordcountysun.com.