The classic Corvette is missing an engine, a transmission, an interior, and is now somehow valued at $12,000
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by Stephen Rivers
January 13, 2023 at 16:02
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by Stephen Rivers
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Used car prices have been sky-high for a few years now and classic cars have seen a similar bump. For one man in Kansas, that bump now has him paying some 1,177 percent more in property taxes on a non-running Corvette parts car in his garage. Now, he’s set up to battle the state over a $718 property tax bill.
That man is Don Hawley of Douglas County, Kansas. His parts car is a 1979 Chevrolet Corvette and to put it lightly, it’s seen better days. As it sits it has no engine, no transmission, basically no interior, and is quite clearly an actual shell of its former self. That’s why Hawley was so shocked when the county assessed the vehicle with a $12,000 value.
To put that into perspective, Hawley paid $1,000 for the car back in 2015 and until this year, had never had to pay more than $61 in taxes annually for it. Understandably then, he feels like this new jump in the fee is “pretty unrealistic for a car frame.”
According to the state, the valuation is based on the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) guide. Prior to this year, it had based the value on the purchase price of the vehicle “due to the fact that staff were not able to locate a value in the NADA guides.”
Evidently, the state has provided Mr. Hawley with the necessary instructions surrounding a protest of the fee. He’ll still need to jump through a bit of red tape just to have the chance for it to be reduced though. Not only does he have to file the protest but he’ll also need to provide additional documentation as to the condition of the Corvette.
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He’s said that he’ll follow through with the protest but a resolution has yet to come. For now, the moral of the story seems to be to keep a close eye on one’s own personal property taxes and be ready to fight should something similar happen.
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