I'm actually slowly looking things up now. USPS sells p.o.box for $50 a year. I don't know if they supply vanity street addresses. I didn't check UPS stores yet either.

But in theory it can/should work.

 

It will only work if you make the mailbox your permanant legal address and establish that address as your legal residence. It might work as a temporary dodge for awhile but, you know that they'll get wise to it and start cross referencing things like plates & city stickers, water bill payments, tax returns, property taxes...In this day & age it's so easy to do AND if they have to do that to collect their tax I'm sure they'll attach fines and penalties!...Why do you think the city sent out city sticker renewals to people who have never bought one for vehicles they've owned for years last year? They're cross referencing state plate registrations. The time has come where being a scofflaw ain't so easy!
Before you conclude that I must be some kind of advocate for the county understand that over the years I've been down these roads...I've learned the hard way that eventually you WILL be forced to pay and if you dodge it and they catch you...you can end up paying as much as 5 times what you would have if you had just paid the tax in the first place!
Believe me...I know!

EDIT: Sandman, You should not be subject to this tax. Respond to the notice and advise them of where you live and see if that resolves it. If not, at that point if it were me, I'd contact a lawyer. Don't fail to respond or you could end up with your license suspended and have to go through a bunch of hassle you shouldn't have to.

 

I'm doing this not just to avoid the one time fee but for my cars, I would like to avoid emissions testing as well as a city sticker. The tax they can get me for in the end but a city sticker if they don't get me that year they can't get me for back stickers. Same for the bike.

 

Crook county is the kind of place that will waste time and resources to go after you , but will let a gangbanger out in 4 years on murder one .

 

Before you establish a rented mailbox as your legal residence you better make sure you're standing on legal ground...The only way it works is if that address appears on all of your legal documents including vehicle titles, registrations, drivers license, not to mention your passport and your tax returns...if you're a homeowner how do you do that and still qualify for the property tax break for living in the house?...You could be setting yourself up for some real legal problems if you do that...and for what...to save a few hundred dollars on taxes and fees? Compare that to what the mailbox will cost you...is it really worth it? Especially if you get caught and have to face evasion charges and all the fines and penalties? Then there's the possibility of a fraud charge if they decide you established a bogus address to defraud the City and county out of fees and taxes they are legally allowed to charge...Just sayin'!

BTW... I've been told Chicago can go back as far as 7 years to collect for unpaid city stickers.

 

I hear and understand where ur coming from. Some are very obvious points but some I think are borderline crazy for them to require.

Now... How can they go as far as 7 years to collect unpaid city stickers? I find that silly because a city sticker allows u to operate the vehicle in the city limits or so. What if car was just stored/broken in my garage for 5? If I don't have any tickets on said car they don't have legal proof the car was working.

 

The car doesn't have to work. If it has a valid plate you are required to have a valid city sticker if you live in the city. Period. They can violate you by mail off of computer records
If you were to leave a non working car (or any vehicle) that is titled in your name in your garage and after 5 years repair it, then go to the Sec. of state to get a valid plate you would either have to pay the license fees for the 5 years it sat in your garage or you would have to produce legit paid bills that the car was in storage for that time. Sitting in your garage is not considered storage! They WILL check so they have to be legit bills.( Also, whatever you do DON"T EVER TELL THE SoS THAT THE VEHICLE WAS RACED OR USED OFF ROAD WHILE IT WASN'T REGISTERED!!!)
We're talking about how the city, state and county raise revenue to provide services etc. They are all broke and saddled with deep debt. They don't take it lightly and come down hard on anyone that tries to circumvent their legal taxes and fees. They don't have a sense of humor with those who evade paying. Fines and penalties are stiff for a reason...they want you to pay gladly in the knowledge that if you don't they'll get much, much more from you in fines and penalties. It's so easy in the computer age to cross reference that the city of Chicago captured at least several hundreds of thousands in formally un-purchased city sticker revenue last year.

There are 2 ways we can change at least part of all this...petition our elected officials to make changes and ELECT NEW officials that will spend less and tax less!

The city can go back 7 years because (I was told by a source I believe) that's the statute of limitation on the violation. If they could go back further I'm sure they would!

I'm not judging you...I've experienced some of this first hand and had to pay out the wahzoo! So...be forewarned before you try to hatch a scheme to evade paying!...That's all I'm sayin'!

 

Interesting info u stated. I'll definely take that info and run it with the guys that I know that do said things and get some detailed info.

I do agree its very easy to cross reference things. But most people at SOS is dumb as shit. They would need to outsource this if anything.

I've gotten a paper in the mail asking for city sticker but it had " if vehicle is sold/no longer in possession disregard" and I did legit sell the motorcycle at said time.

Let me run this scenario by you. Say I live in Chicago, my DL says that. I own a vacation home that I use 2 summer months in WI. The WI county I live in doesn't offer home mail service because its so small that we all are given free PO boxes. I have toys that only stay there. Say 2 cars and 2 bikes. They were register at my Chicago address and now at my WI PO Box.

This is a legit scenario because I know of places in IL and Wi that don't have local mail services. Not trying to be a smart ass but u have a decent understanding of how things go and I wanted to see what your thoughts on this was.

 

First...The cross referencing I'm speaking about is not done by the SoS, it's done by the city and the county. It's their tax & fee revenue that's being lost.
If your "toys" are registered in Wisconsin I don't see how there would be a way for the county or city to violate you by cross reference. However, if you were to get stopped in Chicago and the officer checks the registration against your license he could write you for no city sticker. It's simple...You're a resident of the city, you own a vehicle that does not have a sticker, you are in violation of the city's ordinance.
I'm not a lawyer and I don't know how the law works regarding legally residing in Illinois and registering vehicles in Wisconsin but, I would guess you might be pushing the envelope on being within the law. It's something I would check into because I prefer to be within the law. What you do is up to you. Aren't Wisconsin plates much more expensive than Illinois?

BTW...We've gotten off topic here a bit but the point is that if you try to evade the Cook county private vehicle sale tax they WILL use every means at their disposal to catch you AND they will slap you with fines and penalties in addition to the tax just as the city is starting to do with city sticker scofflaws.
The county tax is poorly conceived, regressive and fails to take into account that older motorcycles are oft times sold for only a couple of hundred dollars.When the state passed their private sale tax they eventually modified it for motorcycles to a flat fee of $25. The county tax should be either repealed because it hurts the people that can least afford it or at least modified to reflect the fact that some vehicles are sold at very low prices. Changes get done by the people exerting pressure on the elected officials who created this tax. You don't like this tax? Let the Cook county board know!

 

I'm not a lawyer and I don't know how the law works regarding legally residing in Illinois and registering vehicles in Wisconsin but, I would guess you might be pushing the envelope on being within the law. It's something I would check into because I prefer to be within the law. What you do is up to you. Aren't Wisconsin plates much more expensive than Illinois?

Far as I know you cant register a street vehicle in WI if you're a resident of another state and not intending to live in WI. Thats one you need to ask the WIDOT about to be sure. WI plates are around $100 for trucks and $75-80ish for cars per yr for registration.

 

Some recent info that I have heard is that there is a proposal that President Preckwinkel is said to support that would modify the schedule of this tax and lower the fee for registering a motorcycle in Cook County in a private sale to a flat fee of $90.
I think the unpopularity of this tax and Cook County citizens lodging complaints had alot to do with this proposal. I'd also bet that if the protests got louder and more people protested they might even modify this further...maybe even eliminate it!

Let them hear from you!

 

Some recent info that I have heard is that there is a proposal that President Preckwinkel is said to support that would modify the schedule of this tax and lower the fee for registering a motorcycle in Cook County in a private sale to a flat fee of $90.

I read this as well.

 

Is that for title and tags or just the tax ?

 

My guess is prbably just tax.

$25 to $250 to $90

I can't see that including all of it

 

So if they do this , we should get the difference refunded back , right ?

 

Two things:
1. The $25 tax charged at the SoS is a state tax. The other "fee" billed by mail is a tax charged by Cook County.

2. The change in the fees charged is only proposed. It needs to pass the Cook county Board AND...If they do change it DO NOT expect a refund/rebate if you paid a fee before the change was made...The rates you paid were in effect at that time and once the county gets your money you need to climb inside a crocodiles mouth and pull teeth to get any of it back!

 

I tried to post links but I have less than 15 posts so I'm not allowed.... Effective Aug.1, 2013, the Cook County Use Tax on Non-Retailer Transfers of Motor Vehicles for motorcycles was reduced, changed to a flat rate of $90. Legislation was introduced Apr.17, 2013, and passed on May 8, 2013, effective Aug.1, 2013. As expected, no mention of any refunds for transactions prior to Aug.1, 2013.

Also worth mentioning, in another amendment that was proposed on July 31, 2013, and yet to be passed.... individuals with income less than $20,000 would be exempt from this tax.

And to add, for vehicles other than motorcycles, the Cook County tax rate has decreased effective Aug.1, 2013: 3yrs or newer, $225. 4-8 years, $175. 9 years or older, $90.

 

I had to pay like 300$, I want my fucking money back you damn cook crooks.

Lets start class action lawsuit.

 

Good luck , I buried $425 with those fuckers.

 

I just got the title for the '79 CB750 I am working on. Good timing I guess since the amount has been reduced to $90.

 

crap! I registered my new bike on July 30th still waiting for the hate mail

 

You might never get one . You live in a Lake-Crook county gray area.

 

I bought my bike in January and I got the letter about a month ago but I never payed it. Do you think I can pay based on the new fees or should I send what they ask for?

 

They won't ask for the money, collection agency will contact you. This is how they did with my brother, becasue he had no idea about this tax. I also had to pay $225 6 months after my bike was totaled. Hopefully they will return my money back since they changed the rates

 

^^^ Since you've already been billed for the tax at the old rate, I'm sure that's what the county expects you to pay. The transaction of transfer took place under the old higher tax rates so that's another factor that would support them expecting what they billed you for. What you do is up to you but, as I stated earlier...in my experience the City, County and State have no tolerance for not getting their taxes. Save yourself some hassle. Pay what they billed you for and it's done with. At least that's what I'd do if I were you knowing what I know from past experience.

 

+1
remember , they will spend $5000 to get your $250 .

 

That's what I though, thanks.

 

You're not getting money back if you purchased your bike before Aug.1 2013, the Cook County dot gov site now shows the old and new rates from the passed ordinanance and specifically states that if you purchased your bike before Aug.1 2013, you're subject to the older rates. No refunds, no retroactive rates.

 

Nobody is ever getting any money back from crook county .

 

I'm Know I'm late to this thread but that really sucks.