Posted on 05/28/2004 2:33:54 AM PDT by pageonetoo
Property-tax evaders and parking-ticket scofflaws in Arlington County take notice: Officials are collecting outstanding taxes and fines at the rate of about $900 an hour with the help of an electronic roving eye.
County officials last month began using the BootFinder, a small, hand-held camera that scans license plates of parked cars to identify people with delinquent property-tax bills and unpaid parking tickets.
The county spent $27,000 to buy the camera, which was developed by Alexandria company G2 Tactics, and has recovered about $900 each hour of its use, said Arlington County Treasurer Frank O'Leary. (excerpted)
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
This is in our news here constantly. There are cameras in DC, increasing their revenues, there are cameras in Md, increasing their renenues, there are cameras in VA, increasing their revenues.
Where the hell is the money going?
To buy more cameras.
They should call it the Booty Finder. Hello Big Brother.
I am surprised they make the distinction...!
Taxation without representation notwithstanding, delinquent property-tax bills? How can license plates help here? Are they going to take away your license until your bill is paid up, or what?
I think this may come under the term "illegal search and seizure". There is no judge, or jury, just beaurocrats doing what they do best (putting their hands in our pockets any way they can)!
That's how some states do it. Here in South Carolina, if you don't pay your personal property tax, you don't get your license plate or yearly decals. I paid mine yesterday ($198 for a 9-year-old truck + $15 "road maintenance fee" + $60 for two years plate renewal) and will get my 2005 license plate sticker in the mail next week. The county treasurer's office sends the info to the state DMV and the DMV mails me the decal and registration. In the meantime (since it expires 31 May) I just keep the tax receipt in the car and if I get stopped, I tell the occifer that I'm waiting on the decal in the mail...and I'm perfectly legal. It's convenient, but expensive.
Virginia doesn't tie personal property tax to the DMV, they just use the yearly window decal method. Show no decal or an expired decal on a public street, whammo, insta-ticket. (Been there, done that, paid it.) The police are very busy the first couple of days after the stickers expire busting people for expired tax decals.
}:-)4
I'm pretty sure they are referring to personal property tax bill. (car tax).
About seven or eight years ago Virginia was going to phase out the PPT over a five year period. They didn't put a knive through the heart of it, so it still lives. We now have a dem governor. Need I say more?
I forgot to mention about the SC system...when you first move into the state, you have to pay your property taxes BEFORE going to the DMV to get title and tags. If you don't have a tax receipt, no plate for you.
Also, they probably take down the license plate found by the camera, get the address from the DMV database, and mail the offender the ticket, much like they do in some cities with red-light cameras.
}:-)4
Actually, I believe the local jurisdictions and their PPT rolls are now tied into the DMV.
Please, somebody post a listing
of public elected officals, in this issue.
This is an interesting police-state creep - linking local property tax (local/county gov) with the state dmv database. It crosses function (property tax/dmv) and level of gov (local/state). Kind of like a step towards that tia (total info awareness) thing - all your info, be it medical, bank, investment, property, family, auto, criminal, credit card, employment, fingerprint, eyescan, dna, are belong to us. When privacy is outlawed, only outlaws will have privacy.
This is the official Town website...
http://www.co.arlington.va.us/homepage/default.asp
I can imagine the mapping being done, at the same time, so they will know where you spend your time.
We have cameras, linked to computers, with recognition software, being used for "Big Brother" purposes everywhere.
I have purchased land in 4 states, and built 3 houses so far. I do not want to be caught without a place to go, when the sh-t hits the fan... (when the bubble bursts, and the welfare state comes tumbling down, where will the residents of the inner city go?) It is probably going to come to that! It will be a complete surprise to most people...
This is evil.
Hmmm...you're down on your luck and behind on your tax bill. They take your license plates so you can't get to work. Neat system.
....and their license plate numbers.
This is just MORE evil.
I don't think it's going to happen with a big calamity (although no one knows for sure, certainly not me). I think that the U.S. will be a socialist third-world country by 2025, kind of like the way France is going. Slow, steady decay, with the occasional bubble bursting and being absorbed.
If congress has to choose between cuts in services or raising taxes, I'd bet on higher taxes. Especially in times of crisis (social security, medicare, deficits, welfare, education, etc.).
Cool plan, though - multi-state coverage. I myself hope to go ex-pat someday.
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