Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for June 22, 2012

As of now, it’s not a transfer between family. Gus would have to sell it to his daughter for that to be so.

If Gene should decide to dump his daughter, Gus might raise that price 30,000 or 40,000.

@ Jim T8 State by State and yes in VA.

Is Gus going for Godfather status? (Making Arlo an offer he can’t refuse?)

Never mind the legalities – just enjoy the lovely story!

NH has NO sales tax (or income tax either). They will get him with registration fees.

if Gus gave it away taxes might not apply. i think as he has noted before he is just thrilled that his “little girl” and grand daughter have met such a nice young feller like Gene who will take care of them the way he would want. the boat is his way of saying thanks for raising such a nice young man and letting them have a place nearby where Gene and his daughter are living.

Game changer…..

For goodness sake!!! Just enjoy the moment!!! It’s not real people…there are taxes in Arlo’s world.

Comic strips rarely make me laugh out loud, but Arlo’s expression is priceless.

See the comment about maintenance and repairs. I bought my prize 1972 wooden crusier for $500 and after only another 12K I’m “rollin in my sweet baby’s arms”

If he gives it away, then there’s no sales tax, but there may be gift taxes equivalent to a cash gift of it’s value (purchase, assessed, appraised or using whatever other method the state chooses to use to determine value.)

What happened to the man who got everything he ever wanted? He lived happily ever after.

I missed it by that much.

Dowry?

Go on, Arlo! Give the guy a handshake and a ‘guy hug’!

Love it!!!

In Texas, the phrase is “ten dollars and other good and valuable considerations” aka “none of your business clause”.

finale: The only problem with barter is in making change – how many chickens equal one goat. The traditional definition of “fair price” is “what a willing buyer and willing seller agree it is.” Since most barter deals would not go through if money were involved, the state applying “a fair market price” is a thieving fiction. The true money price is zero.

Gus is giving the boat as a dowry for his daughter

The boat for $10. He is throwing in (from yesterday) no dock fee, free electric and water, and free coffee and showers! Let’s see where this story is going.

I wonder if this is JJs method to bring the whole group together into one location? Is it possible that Arlo could either a) retire, b) transfer his job to that location, or c) get a different job? Very interesting… although I must say I miss Luddie.

Wtf – how did we get off on sales tax???

Wow. Today is the first day that the thought crossed my mind that Jimmy is wrapping up this comic strip. He’s tying the ends together way too nicely. Gene is graduating from college and has a sexy girlfriend with no flaws (except for being willing to sleep with guys pre-marriage, but that’s “apparently” no longer an issue in this day and age… but has now become an additional bonus for Gene). He has a step-daughter who already considers him “dad”, together with Mary Lou can afford to buy a farmhouse and land that he knows how to fix up despite us never seeing him have any real-world experience in home repairs… Janis is getting the daughter she never had and gets along famously with her… she also has a granddaughter now, and assumes more will be on the way… and Arlo is getting the boat he’s always dreamed about and his previously “feet-on-the-ground” wife now wants just as much… and it’s not even going to put a dent in their budget. Way to go Jimmy. Fairytale ending.

This is a further step in my predicted end game. I see Janis and JJ standing on the stern waving with Arlo at the helm as Arlo and Janis sails into the final sunset. ;)

I’m with Dave53, he sees this as a great way to keep his daughter close while doing a good thing for future in-laws, and getting out from under fees and maintenance on the boat. And isn’t his wife deceased? He may not want to be ON it himself, but can’t bear losing something altogether that has memories he cherishes attached.

The restaurant must have owned the boat and it is now fully depreciated.

The strip is just showing that life is beautiful, family is everything and good people have wonderful things happen to them! The family is growing and it is refreshing to see the togetherness!

As an ex boat owner, that will end up being the most expensive ten bucks they ever spent

A gathering of angels appeared above my head,They sang to me this song of hope and this is what they said,They said come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me lads,Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me,Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me baby,Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me

As @Agent 54 said it’s state by state. In Mass. you can pass along a car as a gift with no taxes. No one has ever passed me a boat but a car, twice.

“Cue the deer.”

If one gives the item to a family member (or anyone else) it is a gift. If it is a large item one may have to pay gift tax on it or subtract the value from their lifetime exemption.

Also the sales tax works the other way. If one is paying to purchase the item from a family member, one can say that it was a gift, or sold for a nominal amount, to avoid the sales tax on the transfer and possibly income tax for the seller if it was for more than the original cost.

There are all sorts of crazy laws in various states to make sure that they collect everything to which they are entitled. Did you know that in most (if not all) states with a sales tax, you are suppose to pay sales tax to your home state if you make a purchase on the Internet or while out of state if you bring the item you purchased into your home state? If you pay sales tax to the state where you bought the item you may be able to deduct that amount from what you owe your home state. In NYS if you own 2 homes instate in different sales tax jurisdiction, you are suppose to pay the local tax on items purchased out of state (in person, by Internet, etc.) to both localities in addition to the state portion of the tax. Hence why the states try to be vigilant in collecting sales taxes.