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  "path": "/2026/03/remember-that-montana-license-plate.html",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-08T05:22:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://justacarguy.blogspot.com",
  "tags": [
    "https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/montana-loophole-car-purchases-21960170.php",
    "https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2017/09/how-rich-are-getting-out-of-paying.html"
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  "textContent": "\n\n\n\n\nCalifornia regulators are reviewing every recent car sale in Montana as they crack down on a tax-evading scheme called the “Montana Loophole” where drivers dodge Golden State levies by purchasing a vehicle in a place with no statewide sales tax.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe California Department of Tax and Fee Administration and Department of Motor Vehicles said in a news release Friday that since 2023, they’ve found hundreds of California-based dealerships involved in more than 2,500 sales to customers claiming they’re Montana drivers. Many of the sales involve luxury or exotic cars, and regulators said it cost the state more than $10 million in lost revenue.\n\nInvestigators listed the cities in California with the most suspicious sales at dealerships. Beverly Hills has the highest with 416, and in the Bay Area, Mill Valley appeared among the top 10. There are only a couple of car dealerships in Mill Valley, and both are for luxury brands: Ferrari and Porsche. Regulators found that Mill Valley is connected to 99 suspicious sales.\n\nOn Friday, the California Department of Justice announced charges against 14 people it alleges were using the loophole to cheat the state out of $20 million in luxury vehicles purchases.\n\nThe tax loophole takes advantage of states like Montana that don’t have statewide sales tax. Visitors from other states purchase and register a car there to save money, sometimes by setting up a limited liability company. The pricer the purchase, the more the loophole can save the tax dodger.\n\nBloomberg found that Montana has more than double the national average vehicle-to-driver ratio.\n\nSince 2023, the California DMV investigators said they found 601 vehicles that were fraudulently registered, recovering $2.3 million in registration and taxes.\n\n\n\n\n https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/montana-loophole-car-purchases-21960170.php\n\nhttps://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2017/09/how-rich-are-getting-out-of-paying.html",
  "title": "remember that Montana license plate scheme to get out of paying state sales taxes? Now Marin County (and those very rich wine country people) are under scrutiny. I've been posting about this since 2017",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-08T05:22:02.248Z"
}