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OK, I'm having a brain seizure here...... Could someone give me a link to the online price guide, reference or whatever, for valuing aircraft. I've seen it, and used it, just simply cannot think of a name for it. I know AOPA has something, but you gotta be a member, isn't there something else?

This week (as a Tax Assessor) I'm in a Personal Property Appraisal class with the Georgia Department of Revenue, and all they tell us about is the Blue Book and Vref, there are a lot of counties that cannot justify spending a couple of hundred dollars a year on blue book for a half dozen aircraft at a county airport, trying to come up with something that will get them in the ballpark.

Charles

Do you subscribe to trade-a-plane? They have an online price guide. FK

Chuck,

I believe you are looking for Vref which can be found at:
http://www.aopa.org/members/vref/

It's on the AOPA website under aircraft valuation.

Mark

Becoming a member of AOPA is well worth the few bucks. I have saved way more than my membership costs on insurance alone. You add in the other benefits, and it is hard to beat. Plus, you are supporting an organization that is putting in some effort in the interests of GA.

Reg

I am an AOPA member. I am asking this to recommend to other property tax appraisers in Georgia that might need access to values. I have never used the Trade A Plane valuing system, but if it works, it might be the cheapest thing to recommend.

Apparently some counties have resorted to jointly purchasing the Blue Book or Vref and sharing it, but that is a hassle too.

Charles

Chuck,
End the hassle and STOP charging property tax on airplanes!!

Well, actually, I don't tax anyone. The county commissioners, the school board and the city commissions do that. As appraisers and Assessors all we do is seek out legally taxable property and value it fairly and equability.

There has been talk in Georgia of doing away with property taxes. If that were to happen, we would be at the mercy of the state for money, they would decide when and how much our local governments would get, and at the local level, there would be little say so in managing our own affairs. I suspect most of the money that would be destined for us would be siphoned off for lawmakers pet projects and locales that they "felt" needed it.

Biggest problem with property taxes are exemptions that the state's lawmakers create. Personal property laws are riddled with special interest exceptions and special considerations for different businesses and groups, at the expense of others who have to pay their way. Real property goes the same way. Lawmakers vote in special exemptions that takes money away from the counties and cities, not the states coffers. In essence, they give away something that really is not theirs to give away, local revenues. If there were no special exemptions, every one would pay fairly and evenly and probably not near as much. Fact is, it takes a certain minimum amount of dollars to run a local government. If you don't get it from everyone, and only collect it from those who are unlucky enough to not qualify the burden is heaviest on them, while others skate.

Off the soap box..............

Charles

That can also be said of every tax dollar used by every level of government in the U. S. It's easy to be chaitable when your donations come from someone else. If elected officials want to create give-away social programs they they ought to fund them out of their own pockets.

Washington State Department of Revenue has taken a little different route. There are only a few places in the state that you can pay the use tax. I had to go to Tacoma to take care of it for Juliet.

It is calculated based on the tax rate in the county in which the airplane is home-ported.

That way, they don't need an aircraft "expert" in each county. Of course, here, we pay the use tax only once. The annual registration fee ($60) can be remitted on-line.

Reg

In Georgia, EVERYTHING, both Real Property (land and buildings and permanent fixtures) and Personal Property (items that are moveable and not part of the land, such as cars, boats, airplanes, machinery, computers, store fixtures, everything a business owns, and unusual things and individual owns) are taxable, unless specifically exempted (your normal household items and clothing are exempted). The assessment of the property (locating, identifying, and valuing, and also exempting) is handled by the Board of Assessors and their appraisal staff. Every City, County, School Board, and many other authoritys levy the taxes by establishing the millage rate and authorizing the elected county tax commissioner or other taxing collecting agent (generally city clerks) to collect the taxes. With the exception of a minute amount(a quarter of a mill) all the money stays local under the control of the levying authority.

There are 159 counties in Georgia, and thus 159 different Boards of Assessors, and as a result, 159 different ways to locate, and assess property and to exempt it.

It IS a complicated system, unfair in many ways, and certainly needs to be streamlined. The talk of doing away with inventory taxes would be a good start. It would eliminate the hassles of attempting to value inventories, and also would eliminate the cumbersome Freeport exemption system, created to circumvent the taxing of inventories for most all but retailers. It would also eliminate the unfairness of special legislation that allows car dealers, aircraft dealers, boat dealers, motorized heavy equipment dealers, and motorized farm equipment dealers to be exempt from inventory taxes, while all retailers, mom and pop groceries and the like, and most other things, to be required to pay taxes on their Jan 1 inventories. Basically, if you have money, you buy special legislation to exempt your trade or industry.

Oddly, in Georgia, there is no aircraft registration or fees.

Sorry for the rant. Its a love hate relationship. I like the work, and really want to do a fair job of assessing everyone properly, but I don't like alot of what I see in the laws. I don't like to see certain individuals trying to cheat the system so they won't have to pay, because everyone else pays more when the millage rate goes up to compensate.

Charles

I'll shut up while I'm ahead. Its all fresh on my mind from having just finished this class today, and will quickly wear off.