I was poring through a copy of Sports Car Market the other day when I got a glimpse of a disturbing trend. It seems a lot of Californians have taken to registering their cars in Montana to avoid high taxes and onerous regulations. The story t old how the state is reacting to this trend.
No, it’s not by lowering taxes and revising regulations. It’s sending cops out to collar the drivers of cars with Montana plates. The story told of a guy who was sitting at home minding his owner business when a state investigator and two sheriff’s deputies showed up with a search warrant.
They were looking for the sports car that was in the garage and also for the owner’s cellphone. They confiscated that for evidence. My first thought was: They can’t do that! This is America! My second thought was: Yes, they can! This is California.
When I called the author, a lawyer by the name of John Draneas, he told me that California has been tightening up on enforcement against those who register their cars out of state to avoid California’s regs and taxes. The owner of that car could be in for a penalty well into the thousands and even jail time, he said. Californians can expect to see a lot more of that kind of thing as the California Air Resources Board tightens its regulations on which vehicles can be sold there.
Even though electric vehicles are tanking in sales, CARB is pushing the dealers to sell even more of them. The CARB regulations call for manufacturers to deliver to the retailer.