I dock a Coast Guard documented boat in Charleston, SC but I live in Atlanta. Does anyone know what my personal property tax liability is? Does SC get me or GA? How much is the rate?
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general answer
I dont know the tax laws in the states you reference but I have researched this issue for the states and countries I routinely sail in. First in the states that tax there are 2 taxes you need to look out for. A use tax and a value tax. For example Washington will try to tax you for value, the same as sales tax, if you spend more than 180 days cumulatively in their waters in a given year. some states are consecutive, this can be 8 or 9 % of your boats total value or more and is a one time tax. a use tax is imposed of you are required to register, like a car registration. even withy documentation you are not exempt from state registration. registration is an annual or bi-annual fee normally. the questions for registration is normally are you transient? again time is a factor depending on state regulation but having moorage in another state, being registered in another state etc are often factors to be considered. to be safe you will need to either read the reg.s or have an attorney do so, most states have access on the web but be careful of asking the state as that will put you on their radar.
I dont know the tax laws in the states you reference but I have researched this issue for the states and countries I routinely sail in. First in the states that tax there are 2 taxes you need to look out for. A use tax and a value tax. For example Washington will try to tax you for value, the same as sales tax, if you spend more than 180 days cumulatively in their waters in a given year. some states are consecutive, this can be 8 or 9 % of your boats total value or more and is a one time tax. a use tax is imposed of you are required to register, like a car registration. even withy documentation you are not exempt from state registration. registration is an annual or bi-annual fee normally. the questions for registration is normally are you transient? again time is a factor depending on state regulation but having moorage in another state, being registered in another state etc are often factors to be considered. to be safe you will need to either read the reg.s or have an attorney do so, most states have access on the web but be careful of asking the state as that will put you on their radar.
Stan, you're asking the wrong people...
Stan, your question pops up regularly on every BB and Forum I visit. And answers quickly burrow down into the anecdotal accounts of others, at different times, with different living arrangements and mostly in different states than the poser of the question. Why not start with the two relevant county tax collectors (Charleston & Carroll, I believe), lay out in simple terms the circumstances that you know to exist, and ask for their interpretation. Do it without offering your name, and both you and they will have nothing to lose by speaking directly. Ask for printed sources to support the interpretations you receive (brochure, URL, letter)...and then start from a position of knowlege rather than scuttlebutt. You can always fish around on the docks and BBs after the fact, to see how the rules work on the ground...but start from what you can document and know to be true. There's always the luck of the draw, a desire for a fiddle, and/or the bliss of ignorance that will shape someone's answer. And BTW, be on the lookout for both States to believe you are liable for some tax, too. Jack
Stan, your question pops up regularly on every BB and Forum I visit. And answers quickly burrow down into the anecdotal accounts of others, at different times, with different living arrangements and mostly in different states than the poser of the question. Why not start with the two relevant county tax collectors (Charleston & Carroll, I believe), lay out in simple terms the circumstances that you know to exist, and ask for their interpretation. Do it without offering your name, and both you and they will have nothing to lose by speaking directly. Ask for printed sources to support the interpretations you receive (brochure, URL, letter)...and then start from a position of knowlege rather than scuttlebutt. You can always fish around on the docks and BBs after the fact, to see how the rules work on the ground...but start from what you can document and know to be true. There's always the luck of the draw, a desire for a fiddle, and/or the bliss of ignorance that will shape someone's answer. And BTW, be on the lookout for both States to believe you are liable for some tax, too. Jack
CG Documentation does not exempt you.
Stan: Typically you are subject to tax in the state where your boat resides. This would be similar to owning a home in SC. You would pay property taxes to where the residence is located. Most states have no problem sending you a tax bill when they decide you are there.
Stan: Typically you are subject to tax in the state where your boat resides. This would be similar to owning a home in SC. You would pay property taxes to where the residence is located. Most states have no problem sending you a tax bill when they decide you are there.
Taxes
My states are as Steve mentioned...I pay tax where the boat is docked and registered, not where I live.
My states are as Steve mentioned...I pay tax where the boat is docked and registered, not where I live.
Is it that simple?
Stan, do you ever take your boat outside Charleston Harbor? What if you decide to temporarily enjoy using your boat in the coastal GA sounds and, while doing so, are checked by a local Marine Police or similar agency (since you aren't displaying a GA decal reflecting you have registerd your documentation with them)? Does GA have a 'visitor's use period' that limits boats from other states using GA waters without tax liability? When the agent asks for identification and sees your GA home address, does that change your tax liability? Let's swing it another way: Suppose you decide you want to temporarily place the boat in NC, GA or perhaps down in sunny FL for a winter period. If you're outside SC and the assessment date for personal property tax is Jan 1st, are you liable for the tax? If you asked your local tax assessor to produce written proof (e.g. state statute) that SC-registered boats NOT present on assessment day are still liable for the tax, could s/he do so? (FYI the taxing authorities in NC can not do this, and so documented, NC-registered boats who winter in the Bahamas or down in FL may choose not to pay personal property tax on their boats). Only you best know what may lie ahead re: your boat's use, which is why framing your own questions & discussing this with your own assessors is going to produce the most useful answers. And wouldn't it be great to have something printed up, outlining your privileges and rights, if any agency decides to stop you on the water at a later date? Jack
Stan, do you ever take your boat outside Charleston Harbor? What if you decide to temporarily enjoy using your boat in the coastal GA sounds and, while doing so, are checked by a local Marine Police or similar agency (since you aren't displaying a GA decal reflecting you have registerd your documentation with them)? Does GA have a 'visitor's use period' that limits boats from other states using GA waters without tax liability? When the agent asks for identification and sees your GA home address, does that change your tax liability? Let's swing it another way: Suppose you decide you want to temporarily place the boat in NC, GA or perhaps down in sunny FL for a winter period. If you're outside SC and the assessment date for personal property tax is Jan 1st, are you liable for the tax? If you asked your local tax assessor to produce written proof (e.g. state statute) that SC-registered boats NOT present on assessment day are still liable for the tax, could s/he do so? (FYI the taxing authorities in NC can not do this, and so documented, NC-registered boats who winter in the Bahamas or down in FL may choose not to pay personal property tax on their boats). Only you best know what may lie ahead re: your boat's use, which is why framing your own questions & discussing this with your own assessors is going to produce the most useful answers. And wouldn't it be great to have something printed up, outlining your privileges and rights, if any agency decides to stop you on the water at a later date? Jack
Not Sure How Barney Fife Would Understand It But
Our Boating Safety classes teach that the boat should be registered in the state that it is principally used. That could mean you live in one state, the boat is slipped in another and you sail, fish whatever in a third. Some states like Mississippi do not require documented vessels to be registered others require registration and numbering of documented vessels, while others like Florida require registration but not numbering of documented vessels. Most states also require you to register your boat if it is in the state for a number of days. Florida it is 90 days and charges $23.25 up to 26' and $55.25 for up to 40'. Check with the county tax accessor where the boat is kept. http://www.dmv.org/vehicle-registration.php?affid=wp&source=overture
Our Boating Safety classes teach that the boat should be registered in the state that it is principally used. That could mean you live in one state, the boat is slipped in another and you sail, fish whatever in a third. Some states like Mississippi do not require documented vessels to be registered others require registration and numbering of documented vessels, while others like Florida require registration but not numbering of documented vessels. Most states also require you to register your boat if it is in the state for a number of days. Florida it is 90 days and charges $23.25 up to 26' and $55.25 for up to 40'. Check with the county tax accessor where the boat is kept. http://www.dmv.org/vehicle-registration.php?affid=wp&source=overture
SC...and it's real high.
The marinas are required to report boats, their owners, etc. at their docks on 1/1 of each year. It's up to you to sort it out from there. There has been quite a bit of press about SC's high tax on boats. Not sure how good they are at collecting it.
The marinas are required to report boats, their owners, etc. at their docks on 1/1 of each year. It's up to you to sort it out from there. There has been quite a bit of press about SC's high tax on boats. Not sure how good they are at collecting it.
Just Reread Your Question
That is a whole different issue. I knew the taxes were bad in Virginia I did not realize it was so bad in South Carolina as well. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQK/is_2_9/ai_114604605
That is a whole different issue. I knew the taxes were bad in Virginia I did not realize it was so bad in South Carolina as well. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQK/is_2_9/ai_114604605
The facts
Well I took the advice on this thread and called the Tax Assessor in Charleston, SC and in St Simons, GA. The tax is based on where the boat is kept the majority of the year. On a presumed value the Charleston tax is $4,200 per year and St Simons is $1,471 per year.
Well I took the advice on this thread and called the Tax Assessor in Charleston, SC and in St Simons, GA. The tax is based on where the boat is kept the majority of the year. On a presumed value the Charleston tax is $4,200 per year and St Simons is $1,471 per year.
Stan...
did they tell you that the marinas report boats at their docks on 1/1 of each year and the TA assumes those boats are there for the majority of the year? If you're there in Charleston, for example on 1/1, you should receive a bill from Charleston for the year. If you plan claim majority of the time in another state/location, you have to notify them. At least that was my experience.
did they tell you that the marinas report boats at their docks on 1/1 of each year and the TA assumes those boats are there for the majority of the year? If you're there in Charleston, for example on 1/1, you should receive a bill from Charleston for the year. If you plan claim majority of the time in another state/location, you have to notify them. At least that was my experience.
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