Interesting!
It is possible in my state, and–as far as I know–it’s also possible in other states. CA seems to be the exception to the general rule.
I always say that if you don’t vote you have no right to complain.
Yes, and savings interest is taxed at ~the same rate as income from one’s job. By contrast, “qualified” dividends are taxed at only 20%, which is clearly an advantage for those who hold stocks and mutual funds.
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When Hubert Humprey was Mayor of Minneapolis, if someone came to his office to complain about city services, he asked them if they voted. He didn’t care about which party they were registered with, but if he found out that they didn’t exercise their right to vote, he would not follow-through on their demands for better city services. He told this to people, and–in the process–he got some apathetic people to go to the polls.
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If someone makes blatant false claims that they can’t back up with any facts, I’ll call them on it. None of what you just said applies to my statements. I have no love of taxes.
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Yup!
Nobody is forced to take toll roads, and there are always non-toll roads that one can take, instead
In Miami they have reduced what was once a 10 lane (5 Northbound and 5 Southbound) Interstate (I-95) to 3 Northbound and 3 Southbound…the other two lanes have become TOLL lanes
Traffic is horrendous. It can take two hours to go 10 miles if there is any mishap. and it happens almost daily. Ask anyone who travels that route.
Comparing one country’s tax rate to another one is valid, but the comparison has to be done accurately and in an unbiased manner. The problem is that many taxes are hidden. For example if you buy a car, you are paying sales tax, and probably some taxes associated with registration and licensing. But that’s not the only tax you are paying on the transaction. You are also paying income tax. Income tax the dealership’s owner has to pay on their part of the profit from the ale. And income tax the sales-person has to pay on their salary. If the car purchaser doesn’t pay those taxes, the dealership and the salesperson wouldn’t be able to afford to make the sale.
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I thought this forum is about cars (and other motor vehicles), not politics…
Car battery warranties, like a lot of warranties, have always been something of a scam - in that you usually have to buy something expensive from the warranty provider to take advantage of them. It’s like certain muffler shops that offer a “lifetime warranty” that covers the muffler, but not the labor, or the other exhaust system parts that they insist you buy from them, which are much more expensive than the muffler. Maybe you would be better off buying a longer life muffler, and having it installed by another mechanic, though I’m not sure of that.
Tire warranties are a lot like that too. E.g., brand x’s tire warranty is probably pro-rated, and you have to buy, mount and balance another brand x tire. And if you have to buy 1-3 more tires so they stay tread-balanced, they only cover the one that went bad. So usually brand x, and the tire store, not you, benefits overall from the warranty.
And car warranties - often require that you get a lot of routine maintenance done by the dealer, at rates much higher than those done by many honest mechanics, using manufacturer supplied parts. (I’ve heard many cars and trucks are sold by manufacturers at less than manufacturing costs, but they make it back in finance charges, replacement parts, and dealer fees.) For the most part, dealers claim cars sold by them that are under warranty need very few repairs, because the manufacturers don’t pay high rates. Of course, as soon as the warranty expires, the dealership suddenly discovers you need $10,000 in repairs - repairs that an independent mechanic would say weren’t needed.
It’s not unique to cars & trucks. E.g., some watch companies, like Casio, usually charge you more in “shipping costs” than the watch is worth, to do warranty repairs or replacements. (And now, they don’t sell replacement gaskets for their water resistant watches - so to change a battery, they want you to pay those same high rates. Last time I used gasket sealer to make my own. And mostly stopped buying expensive Casio watches. I once made a dollar store watch waterproof by coating it in Silicone sealant.)
I admit I do pay attention to car battery warranties a little. E.g., I once bought a Honda battery warrantied for 9 years instead of one from auto parts stores warrantied for 1 - 3, even though it was 15 or 20% more expensive. And I think a tire warrantied by the manufacturer for more years and miles is probably more durable. But I won’t pay for an extra warranty on it.
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You’re right. @cdaquila - please remove all tax/political posts.
No problem.
The people who are feeling it understand. (nearly everyone I talk to).
Some are insulated or feel it’s “ok” for other reasons.
Let’s drop the political stuff, ok?
BTW, as far as I know, all car battery warranties are pro rated, and are dependent on your buying a similar new replacement battery of the same brand.
So it’s not just Walmart. That would be exactly the same if you went to an auto parts store, or to a dealership. Sales and service taxes are not Walmart’s “fault”. You can’t blame them for state and local taxes.
Besides - technically, were they willing to “replace” (i.e., install) it for free? Perhaps they only charged for the battery, not the installation? (I might be wrong about that guess.)
If the battery was bad when new, Walmart would probably have provided another completely free - and wouldn’t have charged taxes. Same as any other battery business.
You could always try a class action lawsuit - or small claims court. (But what I think of lawyers is a lot worse than I think of the government. And if you won the class action lawsuit, it would bankrupt all the battery companies.)
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Maybe or maybe not this is incidental: I’ve had batteries rated to 4 or 5 years last 8 or 9.
Many websites say lead acid batteries, if they aren’t deep cycle marine batteries, should not be discharged below 50% charge, and definitely should not be discharged all the way.
Maybe part of the reason battery companies pro rate warranties is to try to compensate for people who don’t follow those guidelines.
So, I do not mean to offend, but let me ask the original poster: have you ever completely discharged your batteries? (E.g., by leaving your lights on, or by not generally driving far enough, or letting the vehicle sit too many days.) If so how many times?
Now you are taking us into an infinite series…you pay the dealer, the dealer pays the staff, the staff hire lawn maintenance, whose truck dies, so they pay the mechanic, and the mechanic goes to the wealthy lawyer who claims to be paying taxes in the 70% bracket as he does a simple title search for a house purchase.
Next, the lawyer…etc.