Thanks for the correction. I meant to post a follow up when I
found out about the tax. Upon investigation I found out my
question was answered by a dry humored remark. 3 year old (30,000
mile/50km) tune ups for low to mid cars are expensive by our
standards. I guess the joke was "when your car needs a major
tune up you buy another car". Now, it (tax) makes more sense =)
Here in LA they have been fudging around the idea of building
roads on top of river and creeks for decades. In the US however,
Eminent Domain is strong.
Our business was displaced by the Staples Center and made into a
parking lot. The appraisers valued our 8500 sq ft building at a
whopping $210k. Funny that 2 blocks down a similar 6000 sq ft
building sold just short of $1M just months prior. We asked the
Redevelopement Agency to find us another building that was
identical for their appraised value. Never heard from them
again. Go fig. I hear similar stories from house owners
located on soon to be freeway lane additions. Our impeccability
continues.. The US is historically the best land that was ever
stolen. Just call me Injun Joe.
One thing I should (not) be grateful for here in LA, as opposed
to Japan, we have an abundant amount of parking space here. We
call them (interstate) Highways and it's free from 6am to 11am
and 3pm to 8pm.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alex Avery" <aavery@rica.net>
To: <datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 08:28
Subject: Japanese taxes and junked cars
> The issue isn't maintenance and repair costs, it is the
Japanese tax code.
> The Japanese government applies a far higher property tax on
cars older than
> three years, which makes older cars prohibitively expensive
(after all, how
> many 3-year-old, low mileage Japanese cars need major
maintenance work
> done?). The tax code is designed to force people to buy new
cars -- partly
> to support the domestic auto industry. The policy certainly is
a subsidy to
> the rest of us, as we benefit from a surplus of relatively low
mileage,
> newer used Japan Dom. Market cars/engines, parts, etc.
>
> But the other problem is that Japan is simply running out of
room in it's
> metropolitan areas. In Tokyo now, you have to PROVE you own a
parking space
> for a new car before you are allowed to buy one. When this rule
was first
> instituted, people were selling parking spaces to 2, 3, even 4
cars. Now you
> have to prove you own it and it's solely for your car. They are
also
> building roads over rivers because it costs too much to buy the
land to
> build them on. Crazy.
>
> Alex Avery, Staunton VA
> SRL311-07278, '69 2000
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