Oregon Takes Dim View of Phony Resident RV Scheme

Fulltimers often ask about where to establish their "residency." If you’re on the road all the time, it’s difficult to get driver licenses, insurance, and obtain vehicle licensing. Oregon is sometimes recommended because of its low vehicle registration rates and lack of sales tax. Some folks, however, have schemed to use the low Oregon rates for their own purposes, witness the recent crackdown on an Oregon resident who "helped" folks take advantage of those attractive Oregon amenities.

After an 18 month investigation, Oregon officials charged Tualatin, Oregon resident Denise Harden with "Tampering with a Public Record," and violating the "Oregon Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization" law. Harden helped non-Oregonians to register RVs in Oregon, thus avoiding their home-state sales tax and vehicle registration fees. By allowing her "customers" to use her Oregon residence address, Harden made it appear they were Oregon residents.

Harden copped a "no contest" plea, got slapped with $100,000 fine, and was given 24 months of probation. While no information was published regarding what happened to her customers, it’s a good possibility their own home state authorities will be putting them under the microscope of justice. It goes without saying then, that if you do establish Oregon as a fulltimer "residence," be sure to put the dot over the I and the crossbar on the T with respect to legalities. In the past, Washington state residents who registered their vehicles in Oregon and were caught got slapped hard for their trouble.

This isn’t the first occasion of phony RV registration schemes. Some years back, Oregon RV dealer Gauranty RV was hit hard when company employees "sold" Oregon addresses to out-of-staters for registration purposes.

Winter Texans Cry Foul In Tax Pinch

"Winter Texans" are singing the blues, decrying that they call, "double taxation." It seems down in Hidalgo County, some RVers who put up in some of those sunny RV parks are having their rigs taxed as "real property." The RVers claim their rigs aren’t real property, and that Hidalgo County is unfairly taxing them.

The problem seems to center on interpretation. Many of the rigs in question are park models; the owner’s have already paid sales tax on the rigs, and the county, for their part, wants to add a bit more to their coffers. When the park model rigs are put up in an RV park, those who add porches, awnings, or skirts. The owners claim their park models are easily moved, and the county says, "They’re permanent."

It’s a controversy that’s been going on for years, and it doesn’t look like there’s a quick solution to it. Lawsuits have been filed, but they’re not moving any faster toward resolution than the famed Texas armadillo. Check out the full story.

Dump Station Blues?

When we take on the fulltime lifestyle, we also put on some new "hats" for the roles we assume. What kind of hat does a "sanitary engineer" wear? I dunno, the only part of my uniform in that role is a pair of good, thick, rubber gloves.

Getting out the sewage becomes our "problem," and that can really BE a problem if we’re not sure of where to ‘get rid of the goods.’ When set up in an RV park, it’s not a problem, but on the road, or when boondocking, it gets a bit more complicated. Here are some possible places to dump your tanks:

Highway rest areas

State, National, and Federal Parks (often dump stations located outside of the campground, but where not, you may be "stuck" paying a small fee. Better than eating it.)

Local government sewage treatment plants (check out the phone book, call the main number and ask for the treatment plant)

Truck stops (particularly those catering to RVers, like Flying J)

DON’T think you can sneak over beside the road and off-load your tanks. The "Midnight Dumper" only creates image problems for RVers, and if you get caught, there can be a really stinky fine associated with such behavior.

If finding dump stations is near and dear to your heart, then check out The RVers Guide to Dump Stations, a comprehensive guidebook to public dump stations across the US. Available from the RV Bookstore, follow this link for more information.

Happy dumping!

Basement Storage Security

As fulltimers, most of us have to lug all our stuff with us. That makes "basement storage," those handy outside compartments with lots of stuffing space, so attractive. But beware--that storage may not be as secure as you think.

For outside compartments with the standard "cabinet lock," your lock may not be as secure as you like. Visit any used RV sales lot and try your own compartment key on different RVs. You may be surprised just how many other rig compartments you can open. With so many RVs made, and so few suppliers to the industry, there's bound to be a lot more keys in common than we'd like to think.

Changing out the standard cabinet lock is easy, all it takes is a replacement lock, an adjustable wrench, and a few minutes time. We visited a locksmith and had him make up a number of compartment locks--all keyed alike--to replace our OEM locks. We feel a lot more secure knowing that not just "anybody" will easily open up our storage pods.

Need a High Tech Passtime? Try Geocaching!

"What do you do with all that time?"

It’s a question fulltimers often hear from friends and relatives unfamiliar with the lifestyle. Aside of eating, sleeping, and doing a lot of things that root-bound folks do, RVers also like to have fun. Card games, horse shoe tossing, visiting, knitting, the list goes on. But a pastime that seems to go hand-in-hand with RV travel is that techno-game known as geocaching ("gee-o-cashing").

It’s a high-tech game of hide and seek, but rather than hiding yourself, or seeking someone, you’re actually seeking something. Someone hides a cache somewhere on the planet, and then giving you a few clues and some geographic coordinates, you go find it. What makes the whole thing work is internet computer access and a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver. It’s a game that involves your mind and reasoning, and in many cases, gives you a good physical workout.

You’ll find an excellent article on the sport on the DesertUSA website.

Photo by Dave Wild; may be reproduced only with credit to the photographer.

Taxes on the Road?

It’s pushing mid-April and we all know what that means: Flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la, and IRS notices on the wing. Maybe the poetry stinks, but it is that dreaded deadline time. What are traveling RVers to do?

If you’re not where your tax man is, you may be able to file for an extension, to allow yourself more time to get the paperwork out of the way. Of course, if you owe ‘Uncle" any money, you’ll have to estimate what you owe him as best you can and send it by the April deadline. But what about other contacts with the government?

Many RVers have found it best to keep copies of their tax returns (and in some cases, supporting documents) with them wherever they travel. But what if (gulp) you’re summoned for an audit? "Uncle" will probably have the audit set for a city near your record of address. If you’re somewhere else in the country, it can be a frustrating and lengthy experience to get the audit relocated.

For those of you who "do it yourself," using the software program, TurboTax, you have the option of buying into what the company calls, "Audit Defense." For a fairly low fee, you insure yourself against ever having to appear before the IRS. If your return is audited, and you’ve bought the optional service, the Audit Defense folks will appear for you and deal with the Man from Uncle. For my peace of mind, it’s worth the extra money. For more information on TurboTax, visit their web site.