Re: alfa-digest V7 #1089

[Pottree@domain.elided]

In a message dated 10/12/1999 12:08:09 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:

<< since 1990 the state has collected $455 million in smog impact fees, which
 works out to about 1.5 million cars or an average of 150,000 cars per year.
 Considering that there are 27,000,000 registered vehicles in California the 
number
 of out of state cars registered in the state is not significant. The 
legislature own
 legal counsel said that the fee was unconstitutional on both state and 
federal
 grounds before the law was even passed.
 
 What is interesting is that the $300 Smog Impact Fee is not used to offset 
any smog
 related costs but just goes into the general fund. >>

OK, so in CA where we deal in big numbers these fees aren't much, and are 
clearly meant to discourage people from bringing used, preowned, much-loved, 
previosuly-trashed, secondhand, non-cert, etc. cars into our fair state.  
Since Gene quotes one of our honest legislators as stating that the $ wasn't 
used for any smog-related purposes, but just stuck in the general fund, what 
does that indicate?

First, the fees over 9 years amounted to $455MM; no small chunk of change, 
but only a drop in the CA bucket.  But, at an average new-car cost of about 
$20K, the amount of sales tax revenue raised on causing this number of people 
to consider buying a new car here in CA approaches $240,000,000 a year.

Not to consider the positive effect on the bottom line of CA-based auto 
retailers, a very powerful lobby.

So, under the guise of something we all want (cleaner air) this program 
appears to me to be a welfare program for the Holmes Tuttle crowd as well as 
an unsubtle way to get an extra dose of sale tax out of people moving into 
the state.

Charlie
LA, CA, USA
cynicism capitol of the world

------------------------------