What is Medina's position on personal property tax (aka car "registration")?

[johngr]

We know where she stands on real property taxes. But would she make Texas the first to state to give allodial titles to automobiles (not "certificates") back to their rightful owners?

 

[TastyWheat]

I'm sure she'd be interested in doing that, but that would mean no more car registration and possibly no license plates. Even the most conservative legislators would have a hard time going along with that. Legalizing recreational marijuana seems way more likely.

 

[johngr]

I'm sure she'd be interested in doing that, but that would mean no more car registration and possibly no license plates. Even the most conservative legislators would have a hard time going along with that. Legalizing recreational marijuana seems way more likely.

"Registration" is a euphemism for car tax. I have more of a problem with the stickers you have to pay for every year (and state-mandated tracking devices) than with license plates (though if you own your car, they should be optional). To be consistent, she should explicitly hold that the car tax should be done away with as well.

 

[TastyWheat]

In a practical sense, how would law enforcement cope with the fact they have no record of who owns what car (even more difficult if no one has license plates)? That's not to say they have a right to know.

Hmm, just a thought though, and this might not fully replace the current system, a private database could be created and people would voluntarily "register" their vehicles. I know I might want to do something like this so my car could be identified easily if it was stolen. So this service could be free to law enforcement or they might have to pay (depends on the owner of the database). Obviously if someone wants to use a car to commit a crime they wouldn't use license plates or "register" their vehicle so there's still that issue.

 

[james1906]

Those damn yearly inspections need to go..

If you asked someone if an agent of the government at your expense be required to enter your vehicle and take a report on it every year, do you think people would go for it?

 

[johngr]

In a practical sense, how would law enforcement cope with the fact they have no record of who owns what car (even more difficult if no one has license plates)? That's not to say they have a right to know.

Though I'd be in favor of it myself, you don't necessarily have to do away with license plates; you could leave them a requirement to take the car on the street. I'm talking more particularly about the annual car tax (euphemised as "registration"). Like with real estate, it's based on the state's assessment of the car's value. If you own your car, you shouldn't be paying a state tax every year.

Also and more important, under current law, you surrender title to the state in exchange for evidence of bare possesion (the Certificate of Title). This enables the jackbooted thugs to summarily carjack people.