Thanks funjohnny19

my point also. Who cares what its called?

Indeed... Are you any less "taxed" if you have to pay a "fee"? Consider the following,

Citizen 1 pays 25% of his income in taxes and 25% of his income in "fees".

Citizen 2 pays only 10% of his income in taxes, but pays 40% of his income in "fees".

Which citizen pays more in taxes?

Now which citizen has a larger share of their own money? Right... It's bu!!**** to argue semantics. That which we call a turd by any other name would smell as stinky...

My point is that this thread was titled taxes. And not all of the items listed are taxes.

If there was a thread of cigars you don't like and I said Marlboro and Newport Light I'm sure someone would point out those are cigarettes and not cigars. But hey they all contain tobacco so what is the difference right?

You are correct Robby they paid the same amount. But you are missing the concept I'm trying to explain

Citizen 1 pays $20,000 for a new car

Citizen 2 pays $20,000 to a homeless person

They both paid the same amount so its the same thing right? WRONG! Citizen 1 gets a benefit for his money a new car. Citizen 2 gets no benefit someone else does.

A fee results in a direct benefit to you. A tax may or may not. If it is all the same to you guys and you don't care it you get a benefit from your money then stop spending cash on your cigars and send the money to me. After all either way its going to come out of your pockets.

Tobasco if CA is so different then please explain to me some fees you pay that you don't get a direct beneift from. I'd like to understand how things work by you.

Plabonte, Cigar - Cigarette. Isn't a cigarette by definition a small cigar?

Middle English, from Middle French, feminine diminutive suffix, from Old French -ete -- more at -ET

1 : little one - kitchenette

2 : female - farmerette

If you can get everyone on this board to agree that a cigarette and a cigar are the same thing RDC then I'll concede.

I didn't say there WERE the same thing, but according to Merriam-Webster they would appear to be the same thing. I suppose that is why the anti-tobacco nuts are on a rampage over cigars, they are clueless.

BTW...

Main Entry: cig·a·rette

Variant(s): also cig·a·ret /"si-g&-'ret, 'si-g&-"/

Function: noun

Etymology: French cigarette, diminutive of cigare cigar, from Spanish cigarro

Date: 1835

: a slender roll of cut tobacco enclosed in paper and meant to be smoked; also : a similar roll of another substance (as marijuana)

Plabonte

OK, the bureau of auto repair yearly 'FEE' doesnt help our business, or other shops, it goes to help consumers through consumer affairs

There's one right off the bat for you!

You dont know all Plabonte, every state is gonna have slight variations of fees or tax interpretation

You are 100% right Tobasco I don't know everything. Thats why I like this board because I learn a lot. Like right now I'm learning about California.

I don't know what a bureau of auto repair yearly fee is and I don't know what the bureau uses the money for. My guess is that the money goes to regulate auto repair businesses. Which I would guess you receive a benefit from. Although without knowing more specifics I can't tell you what the benefit is as I'm not an auto mechanic nor do I regulate them. And if you don't receive a benefit your customers do. But rather then charging them the bureau charges you because it knows you'll pass that cost on to your customer anyway.

But would you not agree that it is more appropriate for auto repair shops to pay for an organization that regulates repair shops rather then for everyone to pay for an organization that regulates repair shops?

If I never take my car in to be repaired because I rent, lease, or maybe buy a new car every year or if I don't even own a car I don't want to have to pay to regulate your business.

A fee charges those with direct involvement. A tax charges everyone involvement or not.

By the way if you are still reading this thread RDC I'm still wondering what an accounts receivable tax is.

Plabonte, I just told you what the funds are used for

The bureau is part of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, that's for the customer, not the repair facility

In all the years I've worked on cars, the bureau has done NOTHING for us, but will help customers go AGAINST us if they have a complaint

Sorry, I have no periods to my sentences, the key quit working this morning

AR Tax? No clue. This post was from an email from an email from an email...

Thats ok Tobasco. I'd rather have you have no periods then use the exclamation point.

In that case it sounds like a pass through fee. Bureau finds it easier to bill you then the customer. You in turn bill the customer for this fee.

So the customer pays for this and receives the benefit of having an organization that regulates auto repair shops. If you don't own a car, you don't have it repaired, and you pay zero.

If this was a tax everyone pays and some get a benefit and some don't.

I hadn't considered some of those points Paul, good observations.

Plabonte, you do make a good argument with that reasoning...I still dont like writing that check...