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Use Tax California Used Car

Question: Canadian buying a car in California. Avoiding state tax by transporting out of state.?

I’m looking at buying a car in California from a private party and taking it home to Canada. The Cali Tax Code has a use tax that states if the vehicle is used in California, tax should be paid, but if the unit is not intended for use in California, then you do not have to pay tax. All the information have seen applies to dealers and using a common carrier to transport the vehicle over state lines.

The private seller I am dealing with is willing to transport the vehicle to Nevada for delivery, but it will be himself doing it, not a common carrier. I assume because of this I will not have to pay the California use tax. Since I will never set foot in a Cali DMV I should not have anything to worry about right?

Answer: If the vehicle is not being operated in Cal. then you should not have to pay any tax. when buying private party, the tax is paid when registering the car. Since you are not registering the car in Ca. there will be no tax.

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