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View Full Version : Life Taxation Without Representation - Rental Cars


Rain Man
06-02-2010, 01:22 PM
I just rented a car for five days in another city. Since I'm going to be there for a while, I got a full-size car (Taurus or equivalent) and had no problem paying the fee of $292. After all, the car company is giving me a car for five days and they have to buy it and clean it and maintain it and do the reservations and all that stuff.

So then I went to pay for it, and the total bill is $428. There are $136 in taxes piled atop my fee by the big ol' bloodsucking ticks of the local government. That's a 47% tax rate.

Are we back in the Middle Ages? Do I really have to pay an exorbitant extortion to the local duke to hunt in his duchy? (By the way, I always laugh when I type the word 'duchy'?) I'm importing money into the community, and I should be welcomed with the finest cheeses in the kingdom. But instead I have to pay 47% taxes? Really?

I see why it happens, and I admit that it's quite logical. The local government goes to the people and says, "Do you want us to tax a group of helpless strangers so we don't [implied threat here] have to tax you and/or cut services and/or [implied carrot] can give you more services?" Well, of course the voters are going to vote yes, because they can screw over someone else for their own benefit. It's like asking them, "Would you like us to get free money, which can't hurt you and might conceivably help you?"

The flaw in the logic, of course, is that every city is now doing this so people do pay for it, but it's twisted; travelers pay for another city's benefit and make that city's people pay for their own benefit. It's a perfect foil because no one is going to vote no in their own city, so the cities can keep raising the taxes to get as much money as they want. The only way to stop it would be to organize a coordinated campaign in every major city, which is a very difficult thing to do.

So where does it stop? The taxes are at 47 percent right now in the city I'm visiting. 80%? 100%? 500%? Seriously, why would a city not put a $500 per day tax on rental cars in their city? The residents won't stop it and the visitors can't. If the costs get too high, maybe people will start taking cabs, but the city can then put the same fees on cabs.

At some point, maybe conventions would stop coming to town. Maybe out-of-town businesses would stop serving that city. Maybe. Or maybe the businesses would just work remotely and stop spending money on hotels and restaurants, but that's not always possible. Maybe at some point convention planners would avoid the city. But honestly, rental cars are Step 26 of a 27-step process for visiting a city. Most people wouldn't know about a $500 per day rental fee until they're already committed to visiting.

It really is a perfect money machine for local governments. No cost, no culpability as long as they can point at other cities doing the same thing, no limits, and no recourse for those they tax. The highwaymen of yore have returned in strength.

Brock
06-02-2010, 01:25 PM
And THAT is the right way to get a stadium built.

Jilly
06-02-2010, 01:36 PM
Was it Arizona? Because that happened to me last month. I thought I was gonna jump over the counter at the girl who had no fault in what kind of taxes I was having to pay.

blaise
06-02-2010, 01:40 PM
They usually charge you some fee for the airport, too. If you can get your hotel to pick you up with a shuttle you can sometimes get the rental car at an off-airport location and save a few dollars.

Pitt Gorilla
06-02-2010, 01:41 PM
I just wish they would have got the Penguins. Dammit.

BigRedChief
06-02-2010, 01:42 PM
I pay 1% of every $ I earn to the city of KC. I don't live there. Talk about taxation without representation. Thats a direct relationship.

blaise
06-02-2010, 01:42 PM
I just wish they would have got the Penguins. Dammit.

By the time they get a team in the Sprint Center (if it ever happens) it'll be only two or three years before they say they need arena renovations.

OnTheWarpath15
06-02-2010, 01:43 PM
And THAT is the right way to get a stadium built.

LMAO

The ONE time I've had to rent a car in KC was right after the tax was added for the SC.

I swear to fucking God, the taxes were higher than the rates themselves.

All for a building that holds an occasional concert.

alpha_omega
06-02-2010, 01:46 PM
I pay 1% of every $ I earn to the city of KC. I don't live there. Talk about taxation without representation. Thats a direct relationship.

I second that. What a crap tax.

Just FYI BRC, if you ever work out of town (away from your KC location) you can recover your 1% for each day you work out of town when you file taxes.

sedated
06-02-2010, 01:47 PM
All for a building that holds an occasional concert.

uh...not quite. that place is occupied 5 nights a week, easy.

Pants
06-02-2010, 01:47 PM
That is freaking ludicrous.

sedated
06-02-2010, 01:48 PM
I worked at the airport when the SC tax got added. No one was really happy about that one - the customers were livid and the rental car execs were pissed because it was a forced hike in prices that only affected the airport location (taxes and fees were DRASTICALLY less at locations in the city or suburbs).

The difference in price between renting at the airport and going to a Kansas suburb would be around $20 a day IIRC. They were able to shave off the KCMO fee, MO state fee, and the SC tax.

OnTheWarpath15
06-02-2010, 01:49 PM
uh...not quite. that place is occupied 5 nights a week, easy.

With what?

Obviously I don't live there, so I understand I could be dead wrong on this.

I guess the point is that they raped tourists to the city to build a stadium for a team(s) they really never had a chance to get to begin with, IMO.

Deberg_1990
06-02-2010, 01:56 PM
The only solution to this is to never travel.

Rain Man
06-02-2010, 02:18 PM
Was it Arizona? Because that happened to me last month. I thought I was gonna jump over the counter at the girl who had no fault in what kind of taxes I was having to pay.

This is in Washington, but I think it's happening everywhere. I think it's accelerating, too.

BigRedChief
06-02-2010, 02:23 PM
With what?

Obviously I don't live there, so I understand I could be dead wrong on this.

I guess the point is that they raped the public and tourists to the city to build a stadium for a team(s) they really never had a chance to get to begin with, IMO.The city of KC didn't put a dime into Sprint Center. They are not on the hook for one cent if it doesn't make money. AEG was responsible for all cost overuns and if it loses money they have to pay the deficit.

Most cities are making these deals. AEG gets to run power and light and make money and run Sprint center how they see fit to run it. Either of them fails....they are on the hook for the money.

I bet most new stadiums are being heavily funded by hotel and car rental taxes these days.

OnTheWarpath15
06-02-2010, 02:28 PM
The city of KC didn't put a dime into Sprint Center. They are not on the hook for one cent if it doesn't make money. AEG was responsible for all cost overuns and if it loses money they have to pay the deficit.

Most cities are making these deals. AEG gets to run power and light and make money and run Sprint center how they see fit to run it. Either of them fails....they are on the hook for the money.

I bet most new stadiums are being heavily funded by hotel and car rental taxes these days.

Sorry, I'll correct my post.

Raped the tourists.

sedated
06-02-2010, 02:31 PM
With what?

I think concerts, but I know there are other things going on there too. I work downtown a few blocks from the Sprint Center, and my parking garage puts up "event parking $20" signs whenever there is something happening at Sprint or Bartle that night, and there's one there at least half the evenings I leave work.

sedated
06-02-2010, 02:34 PM
Sorry, I'll correct my post.

Raped the tourists.

Its been a while, but I think the costs were split between "visitors taxes", AEG, and Sprint.

The theory at the time was that out of town visitors would be coming to see shows in the SC, so they should pay part of the bill. Doesn't make much sense to me, but not me paying $4 a day on top of my rental car.

I figure it'll all even out, the next time I go to Chicago or Milwaukee or something, there will be "visitors taxes" there for me to pay.

OnTheWarpath15
06-02-2010, 02:41 PM
I think concerts, but I know there are other things going on there too. I work downtown a few blocks from the Sprint Center, and my parking garage puts up "event parking $20" signs whenever there is something happening at Sprint or Bartle that night, and there's one there at least half the evenings I leave work.

I just checked the Sprint Center website.

They have 28 events booked between now and December 18th

8 of them are the fucking circus.

http://www.sprintcenter.com/default.asp?sprintcenter=79&urlkeyword=Events-Tickets



This website shows 34 events in the same timeframe. I didn't take the tim to see the differences between this site and the SC site.

http://eventful.com/kansascity/venues/sprint-center-/V0-001-000552094-2/events


Split the difference. Just over 30 events in 6 months.

Just over an event a week.

BigMeatballDave
06-02-2010, 03:36 PM
Wtf? I rented a car from Enterprise a few weeks ago for 3 days and it only cost me $96.

RJ
06-02-2010, 03:58 PM
Wtf? I rented a car from Enterprise a few weeks ago for 3 days and it only cost me $96.


Rain Man opted for the "with tires" option.

Rain Man
06-02-2010, 04:01 PM
Wtf? I rented a car from Enterprise a few weeks ago for 3 days and it only cost me $96.

What'd you pay in taxes?

I think I could've knocked about $100 off ($147 with taxes, I guess) by going subcompact, but I'm going to doing a lot of highway driving and wanted something bigger.

BigRedChief
06-02-2010, 05:24 PM
The theory at the time was that out of town visitors would be coming to see shows in the SC, so they should pay part of the bill. Doesn't make much sense to me, but not me paying $4 a day on top of my rental car.Same theory that the city of KC gets to tax me without any representation. Thats just down right un-american. Seems to me the reason we exist as a country or at least the straw that broke the camels back was no taxation without representation. ohhh wellll they will get my money another 10 days and then not a dime in the future.
Its been a while, but I think the costs were split between "visitors taxes", AEG, and Sprint.AEG gave $50 million. Sprint gave $20 million a year and it goes up if they get a team in the place.

OnTheWarpath15
06-02-2010, 05:29 PM
Not that I need it, but Hertz.com just quoted me their lowest grade of car, a Chevy fucking Aveo, for 2 days in KC, unlimited miles for a grand total of....

$236.06

I shit you not.

BigRedChief
06-02-2010, 05:33 PM
Not that I need it, but Hertz.com just quoted me their lowest grade of car, a Chevy ****ing Aveo, for 2 days in KC, unlimited miles for a grand total of....

$236.06

I shit you not.Enterprise.com has like Ford Taurus's for a total cost of $80 a day with unlimited miles.

BigRedChief
06-02-2010, 05:34 PM
Sorry, I'll correct my post.

Raped the tourists.Better them than me...;)

OnTheWarpath15
06-02-2010, 05:51 PM
Enterprise.com has like Ford Taurus's for a total cost of $80 a day with unlimited miles.

That's highway robbery as well, IMO.

Hell, for our honeymoon 4 years ago, I got a BMW 5 Series in Canada for $45 a day, US funds.

Car rentals are out of fucking control, IMO.

BigRedChief
06-02-2010, 05:53 PM
That's highway robbery as well, IMO.

Hell, for our honeymoon 4 years ago, I got a BMW 5 Series in Canada for $45 a day, US funds.

Car rentals are out of ****ing control, IMO.It's just chicken chit politicians at work. Raise taxes on visitors, not voters.