Kerry On Yacht-Taxes Issue: 'Nothing More To Say' (Lurch Dumbs Up)

WBZ TV ^ | 7/26/2010 | Unattributed

[mojito]

BOSTON (WBZ) ― Senator John Kerry found himself answering questions Monday about his new $7 million yacht and the controversy about where he's docking it.

"There's nothing more to say about it," he told reporters at an event at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station Monday.

The "Isabel" is docked in Rhode Island rather than at Kerry's summer home on Nantucket or in Boston Harbor. That means he avoids paying nearly $500,000 in taxes to Massachusetts and he doesn't have to pay a $70,000-a-year excise tax.

Rhode Island repealed those taxes in 1993. That has made the state something of a nautical tax haven.

"Let's get this very straight, I've said consistently we will pay our taxes, we have always paid our taxes. It's not an issue period," he said.

Last week, when the Boston Herald broke the story, Kerry's office released a statement saying, "The boat was designed by and purchased from a company in Rhode Island, and it's based in Newport at the Newport Shipyard for long term maintenance, upkeep and charter purposes, not tax reasons."

"It's being worked on. It's under warranty down there. It's being worked on and it will come to Massachusetts and I look forward to that," Kerry said Monday.

When asked "Did you berth the boat in Massachusetts?" he replied, "That depends on who owns it."

Then, he said to his driver, "Can I get out of here please?"

[Recon Dad]

If I were a resident of Mass and I got stuck paying outrageous taxes at every turn and my senator because he is loaded got to dodge taxes it wouldn’t be a non story.

The real story is the morons in the commonwealth keep electing such scum.

[MrB]

You’re absolutely right,

but no one “around here” has the intention or the power to legally rob anyone else.

[Astronaut]

Who is “Isabel”, I wonder? Some other man’s wife or daughter that Lurch married for her money?

[PROSOUTH]

Oh No!!!!! Don’t tell me that Kerry is a TEA Party Member!!

Taxed Enough Already

LOL, that’s Funny,I don’t care who you are ........

[Maverick68]

bump

[RJL]

It's being worked on and it will come to Massachusetts and I look forward to that," Kerry said Monday.

I read another report says that after six months Kerry could move the boat to Massachusetts without paying the sales tax.

I'm betting that the "work" on Kerry's boat will take just a bit over six months before the move to Massachusetts with the happy coincidence of avoiding $500,000 in taxes.

[adorno]

Kerry On Yacht-Taxes Issue

My personal belief is that, Kerry and any other senators and congresspeople who are wealthy, or reasonably well-off, should set the good example and standard for tax payers and should pony up and pay, say, some 70-80% of their earnings/wealth to the government. After all, the government will put that wealth to better use than Kerry ever would. His wealth would be put to the good cause of wealth-redistribution which the democrats are always telling us would be the patriotic thing to do.

If he paid his "fair share" of taxes, he would immediately earn my respect and my vote for president and I might reconsider my disbelief that he was a hero during the Vietnam war.

[dead]

[Doulos1]

You can’t raise taxes on everyone in this country,
he can and does, yet he can by-pass the taxes,
we can’t. I think it is called hypocrisy or something.

[sbMKE]

I’ve toured an $18 million yacht on the Great Lakes - the owner is in Chicago but it is cheaper for him to pay a crew to live on the boat (ship, really) and keep it away from Chicago than it is for him to take the tax hit.

It happens all over the place. That said, Kerry deserves the heat for having a New Zealand shipyard build the yacht. That was politically shortsighted and foolish.

[dead]

[KC Burke]

I love the poster’s idea the other day that Kerry will officially name the boat “Christmas In Cambodia”.

[patton]

LOL!

[RJL]

Video at the link:
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/kerry-may-need-to-pay-500k-tax-on-yacht-20100726

Watching the video also shows Captain Cap & Trade climbing into a large SUV, not a Prius or even close. It's almost like Kerry doesn't really believe the global warming fraud, he just wants the massive new taxes and government regulation into ever facet of our lives that Cap & Trade will bring.

[mowowie]

“This is really a non story and is very common in Ma.because the taxes are so high.”

I would do the same BUT this is a US Senator who has never seen a tax hike that he did not like and voted for all of ‘em.

He’s a frigging hypocrite.

[reagan_fanatic]

"Let's get this very straight, I've said consistently we will pay our taxes, we have always paid our taxes. It's not an issue period," he said.

Then move the boat back to Boston Harbor, Mr. Ed.

[Do Be]

See, and I thought this guy was stupid. Turns out he’s only stupid with our money.

[skimbell]

"...This is really a non story and is very common in Ma. because the taxes are so high..."

No problem understanding why he's doing what he's doing. The problem comes with his denial that he is doing what he is doing.

[RJL]

Who is “Isabel”

A report I read said that was Kerry's mother's middle name and also name that Mama T wanted to give to a daughter, but she had three sons.

[chilltherats]

It would have been cheaper to just stick with the windsurfing board.