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So, for those of you who know more about "stuff" then I do, I would like to ask you a question.

I just bought a used car from a private owner, I was going to get a tag for it today and the lady at the desk told me that the taxes have not been paid for the last couple of years. A total of $143.74 is what is owed.

So my question is, should i try to contact the previous owner and get him to pay up? Or should I chalk it up as experience, bend over and hold my wallet out, and never buy anything without checking the title first?

fireguzzi wrote:So, for those of you who know more about "stuff" then I do, I would like to ask you a question.

I just bought a used car from a private owner, I was going to get a tag for it today and the lady at the desk told me that the taxes have not been paid for the last couple of years. A total of $143.74 is what is owed.

So my question is, should i try to contact the previous owner and get him to pay up? Or should I chalk it up as experience, bend over and hold my wallet out, and never buy anything without checking the title first?

It can be difficult to speak with authority on another states laws.

I would ask what kind of taxes are this ?
Why do you need to pay them if you are the new owner of the car ?
Why doesn't the taxing authority who is owed the [tax] money go after the person who incurred them ?

I suspect that what you think is a "tax" is really some type of admin or inspection fee. Which would explain why the state can get this fee from anyone who owns the car.

The way it works in Conn which has property taxes on cars/bikes would be.

The person who owes the tax is responsible to pay the tax. IOW, they can sell the car/bike to someone else and the new owner won't have to pay the outstanding tax.

It is the taxing authorities responsibility to collect the back taxes from the person who owes them. If the tax owed is high enough they will bring suit against you in court.

phone the person and tell them the situation, if they laugh and say "Sucker!" then maybe take em to small claims or chalk it up to experience.

if they say "oh crap, sorry" maybe you can get em to pay half or something.

you should really check the title any time you buy a vehicle. some times you could be sold a vehicle that has a lien against it and you either have to pay that or they take the car...and the previous owner now has your cash and you have their headache.

First of all I live in GA.

I think what happened is that the previous owner did not drive the car for the past couple of years, and did not get his sticker,that shows the year, renewed. I have a feeling that the lady at the tag office made a mistake, I was getting the title put in my name at the same time I was getting the tag, maybe she was looking at the old info for the previous owner.

Either that or GA. really is screwed up.

All the paper that I have says is, Tax Collection ( stand $143.74
So I am pretty sure that its taxes and not another fee.

I tried to call the tag office to make sure there was not an error but they are closed.

bok wrote:
you should really check the title any time you buy a vehicle. some times you could be sold a vehicle that has a lien against it and you either have to pay that or they take the car...and the previous owner now has your cash and you have their headache.

Lesson learned.

I'm betting it's the ad valorem tax ... if it is due, the state won't issue tags. You can fight with the seller (and should) ... but in the mean time you still don't have tags. The state *will* get their money... you may get yours.

Yep. Even though the state knows full well that you (personally) don't owe the tax, they don't really care as long as they get the money from someone. Many states are like this. They think the car owes the tax.

Anytime you buy a car that doesn't have up to date tags, you can expect this hassle.

At least they're only charging for the tax. My also state charges a "non-registration" penalty that can add up to a sizable sum after a few years. you can sign an affidavit that says the car was not driven on public roads while unregistered, and they'll waive the penalty, but you still pay the tax. If they find a record (a ticket or a record of using a public parking lot) that the car was driven during the period that you swore it wasn't, the fines are insane.

dieziege wrote:I'm betting it's the ad valorem tax ... if it is due, the state won't issue tags. You can fight with the seller (and should) ... but in the mean time you still don't have tags. The state *will* get their money... you may get yours.

After doing a little research, I think that you are right.

I have called the previous owner and left him a message to call me, i will attempt to get him to pay it, but if not..........oh well, now I know.

And thanks to all who replied, your superior knowledge is appreciated

fireguzzi wrote:First of all I live in GA.

I
Either that or GA. really is screwed up.

My guess is, GA is really screwed up. How in the hell can they make you pay the taxes owed from someone else? I wouldn't pay them, it's bullshit.

In Michigan, when we purchase from a private owner, we pay the taxes based on the amount of the sale. If the car hasn't ben driven for years and never renewed or has been driven everyday and renewed yearly, it doesn't matter. Simply, the taxes owed are from the buyer for the sale amount.

I




My guess is, GA is really screwed up. How in the hell can they make you pay the taxes owed from someone else? I wouldn't pay them, it's bullshit.

it's very easy for the state of GA to collect the back ad valorem taxes.
they have to get the money any way they can to pay for the free medical and all welfare services demanded by the illegal immigrants here.who never pay taxes of any kind.