‘Hella dumb’ license plate fee nets Cali $4M

California Cracks Down on Montana Plates

California is cracking down on luxury vehicles plated in Montana to evade state taxes and registration costs, Michael J. Bologna reports.

Officials announced that California recovered $4 million in unpaid taxes and fees from thousands of car owners and dealers and brought criminal charges against 14 people. State agencies also released data describing a three-year enforcement campaign targeting a tax sheltering strategy in which motorists set up Montana limited liability companies to purchase cars, boats, recreational vehicles, and aircraft.

A quirk in California law lets residents avoid having to pay all applicable sales ...