JJ replies:"... In some states you can transfer into an LLC with no tax, just a transfer fee. It is more secure, however, to do an outright sale and pay the tax."

In Colorado you can transfer ownership of vehicles to an owned LLC without paying sales tax, but in order to do so you must fill out what's called an "Affidavit of One and the Same," which is a sworn affidavit stating that you (the previous owner) and the LLC are "one and the same." Only by doing so can you avoid paying sales tax because it's considered a paper transfer of title, not a sale.

However, in doing so, you are irrevocably linking your LLC to your name in the state records system. That affidavit will be filed away, and the fact that you are the LLC will become part of the DMV record for the vehicle, precisely so that you cannot evade taxes. Legally, whatever applies to the LLC applies to you as "one and the same."

To what extent this "one and the same" information is available to the public, or PIs, is unknown to me, but it's my assessment that if the government knows it, others can find it out, so it's worth spending some extra cash to make the privacy airtight.

The only way to de-link your vehicle from your name is to actually "sell" the vehicle to the LLC that does NOT link to your name, pay the sales tax, and USE A NOMINEE to perform the transaction! This is because the current owner attempting to sell a vehicle to a new owner who isn't doing the paperwork may raise suspicion in the DMV. Usually, the new owner or his agent does the paperwork in a legitimate transaction. Therefore, you need to make the transaction appear legitimate and unsuspicious. (Don't forget that if you "sell" your car to an LLC, you must declare the "proceeds" as income on your personal income taxes. To be airtight, suck it up and pay the income tax too, that way there's no way to "get" you for a fraudulent transaction!)

The procedure I follow is to get a friend to agree to be appointed "Manager of Transportation Services" for the LLC, and then I, in my pseudonymous identity as the President of the LLC, issue a letter authorizing my friend to perform registration and licensing transactions regarding motor vehicles for the LLC. This document is provided just in case the DMV wants proof my friend is authorized, although that's not usually an issue, because the DMV requires that the person performing the transaction provide positive identification (DL/passport), which is noted in the record.

As my real self and title holder, I sell the vehicle to the LLC. It's necessary to actually claim a reasonable price, as most states will not allow a "one dollar" sale for new vehicles because they lose out on sales tax that way, so they keep lists of average retail prices for vehicles and will "impute" a value to the vehicle if you attempt to evade sales tax too egregiously. Fortunately, most of my vehicles are at least 10 years old, and can be sold at nominal value. I usually have my agent tell them that it's a ten-year-old junker bought for a hundred dollars, which works with older vehicles. For my new Ford pickup, I'd have to claim a fair-market price and pay the sales tax to make it legit.

Once the title work is done, a "letter of concluded participation" is provided to the LLC by my nominee friend to legally prove that she/he is no longer an agent for the LLC, and the vehicle is now properly and legally titled in the name of an anonymous New Mexico LLC.

One way I found to get around the sales tax issue for expensive new vehicles is to form an LLC in Montana and transfer ownership to the Montana LLC. Montana has very favorable motor vehicle registration laws, and there are several companies that specialize in forming Montana LLCs and doing the title transfer work for you. There is no sales tax on the transfers, and there are no yearly registration fees or taxes on any vehicle more than 11 years old, which means that all but two of my vehicles and trailers get a permanent, non-expiring Montana plate that I only have to pay for once.

It costs about $1200 to form a Montana LLC and register 2 vehicles, and you have to pay about $100 per year for a registered agent, just like in New Mexico, but once done, even for new vehicles, taxes and registration fees can be very attractive.

Colorado is really, really pissed about this because people go buy their half-million dollar RV's in Montana under a Montana LLC and then don't have to pay the outrageous Colorado registration and ownership taxes, but legally they have a very hard time doing anything about it because Montana refuses to cooperate, and so long as you have a legitimate "business presence" in Montana, there's nothing Colorado can do about it, under the "Full Faith and Credit" provisions of the Constitution.

There is a major trucking company operating out of Denver that has been registering all it's tractors and trailers in Montana for more than 15 years, and still is, despite being outed by a Denver TV station. They say, correctly, that they have a right to register their interstate commercial vehicles in any state where they do business, and that registration is valid in all states, so they told the state of Colorado to pound sand when it complained. This is why many corporations are registered in Delaware, which has very favorable tax and regulation climate for corporations, and all other states are required to honor that Delaware incorporation, even though the "business presence" in Delaware is nothing more than a mail drop and a registered agent's office. Delaware gets to impose small corporate taxes, which given the number of corporations registered there adds up to a huge amount of money, but a significant savings for each corporation, so Delaware is happy to set things up that way. So is Montana, when it comes to licensing vehicles. They get small taxes and fees on new vehicles, and economic benefits even from older ones, so they are happy to give people a place to get respite from burdensome vehicle taxes and fees and to hell with what the other states think about it.

For the trucking company, their "place of business" in Montana consists of a desk and a telephone in a cubical in the truck dealership they buy their trucks from in Helena.

My Montana LLC is my internet-based news company, and my "business presence" in Montana is my Montana-based ISP who hosts my website. I access my "office" via the Internet, from Colorado. I can get mail forwarding services from the company that acts as my registered agent in Montana as well, and they already forward official correspondence as part of the RA package. I don't provide any mailing address for the company, and do all my business on-line, so that's not a problem, but I could just use my Colorado ghost address if necessary. I also pay any necessary Montana taxes on the LLC income (there isn't any, of course... News writing income flows through my Colorado LLC of the same name, not the Montana LLC)

This makes it a perfectly legitimate and legal Montana business (just because I'm "on the road" all the time and I never go in to the "office" in Montana doesn't mean it's a fraudulent business...), which makes the ownership of the vehicles and registration in Montana perfectly legal too, and Colorado can't do a thing about it, as much as they'd like to.

This was all accomplished by email with the company in Montana, all under my pseudonym, and the Montana LLC is owned by my anonymous New Mexico LLC, so my real name isn't even known to my registered agent in Montana, or to my RA in New Mexico. They have my pseudonym, a ghost address P.O. Box in an adjacent community in Colorado, and an e-mail address through my Montana ISP with which to contact me.

And this means that if something happens to me, my heirs get a packet in the mail with the ownership papers for the New Mexico LLC from my lawyer, and they become the owners of my Montana LLC, my vehicles, and everything else I choose to transfer into either LLC as an asset without having to retitle them and without them being detectable as part of my estate, and thus it's all immune from estate tax, which comes back at 51 percent next year.

Plus, it's literally impossible for anyone to track the ownership of the vehicles to me, personally. At worst, the state might find out that I, under my real name, am using the vehicles with the permission of the company that owns them, which is authorized by a letter from the President (me, using my pseudonym) of the company, a copy of which I keep in each vehicle along with the registration papers. This is a factual, but not a legal link to me, and one that's unlikely to result in a privacy breach.

I went out of the country some time back. I used a Visa debit/credit card. I just called the credit union to advise them when I would be going, and from which countries charges might appear. I also took a passel of traveler's checks. Those I used (and were accepted) as cash for nearly everything. The card was only for advance reservations at hotels and such.

I wonder if one of those pre-paid Visa cards with out-of-country processing might also be an option.

American credit cards are sometimes useless in Europe- when buying tickets from a ticket machine or buying gas at a self-serve gas pump, for example. There is no problem most of the time because most of the time you will be dealing a person and they know how to deal with American credit cards.

I tried to get a Canadian credit card to make things easier in Europe but I was told that I couldn't get one because they couldn't check my credit because American credit agencies and Canadian credit agencies cannot share information. I would need a Canadian address and credit history to get a Canadian card.

I also tried to get a chip & pin card from my credit card company here in the U.S. and they said they could not issue one to me.

If anyone has had a different experience please let us know.

The case represents one man's quest to rid the Internet of disparaging posts about his rental properties but touches on global issues of how much anonymity the Internet provides and whether you can really ever know the identity of the person at the keyboard.

Hester's dispute is with Jason Feingold, editor of the website "Home in Henderson."

Superior Court Judge Howard Manning ruled on June 28 that Feingold had 10 days to turn over the names of six commenters to Hester.

Submitted Link #1: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/14/156114...

Any feedback would be appreciated. Have I missed anything? Thanks in advance

A few years ago I was following JJ's book religiously, I did everything. All of my mail went to a ghost address and I even moved every 6 weeks having a new apartment under a friend's name. I worked for myself, no social networking, no cell phone, no bank account...etc. I sent a letter to someone I once knew with no return address just the letter (typed). The postmark gave away the general area where I was. This P.I. must have had a hard time finding me but eventually he did, calling my home. (my phone was not in my name).

What I think happened was that he called someone who knew where I was and tricked them into giving my phone number and address! I also used a debit card because I had no access to cash at the time and had to do a "cash advance" on my card to get the cash from it. My friend's company provided me with a card which had my name on it but I was not a employee. Anyways the point of my story is even if you follow all of the advice in HTBI there is still a way for people to find you. Just a word to the wise.

... As I have said before, anyone can be tracked down if a PI has unlimited funds. Whoever was after you must have been well paid, and I agree--he or she must have tricked a relative or friend into giving your location away.

The only explanation I can think of is that counties do get access to federal PO box residence addresses for the purpose of trolling for jurors. The county where I used to live apparently sent out a jury summons to everyone with a residence listed in the county, regardless of whether the PO box to which they sent the summons was in the same state.

I filled out my Census with just the number of people in the house. I heard nothing until Friday (July 9) when I came home from work to find a form in my front door. It listed the Census workers name, cell phone and a note stating he would return the following day (July 10)but would appreciate it if I just gave him a call with the rest of my information. I wasn't home the next day when he came by again and left a similiar form. Nothing from him or a supervisor since.

... They called at our place two or three times, in May. Since we were apparently not home, there have been no more visits.

That said, Census regulations also require that answers be kept SECRET for 72 years AFTER the decennial census. Census employees are not allowed to report criminal activity they see while on Census duty, nor allowed to report suspected illegal immigrants, nor allowed to report dogs chained up and mistreated, kids being abused, or people walking around naked. Census employees are instructed very clearly in training to "turn a blind eye" to all those things and more. On top of that, Census employees are not allowed to carry weapons.

The fine for failing to answer the census is miniscule compared to the penalties for a Census employee for disclosing personally identifiable information ($100 compared to $250,000 and 5 years in prison!) but the ongoing headaches associated with stalling/avoiding the Census are not worth the $100 that you will probably never pay anyway. They just keep coming back, risking life and limb, to count you and find at least one more valid piece of information about you.

end of rant.... :)

"effective Jan. 1, 2012, the whole system of giving and receiving Internal Revenue Service 1099 forms will be turned on its head and all persons (including corporations) who are in business will now have to give 1099 tax reporting forms for coins and other goods that they sell as well as buy."

"It doesn’t matter in what form payment is made, whether cash, check, credit card, or Yap stone money, the $600 threshold applies."

Submitted Link #1: http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad...

Anyways, here's the content that I found at that link:

[start of quote]

Read the TOS (Terms Of Service) for Magic Jack VERY closely. You might be surprised at what you see there. Or NOT see there. I've pointed out issues with Magic Jack in earlier articles on Broadband Nation (see archives). But this revelation should make you VERY concerned.

In short ... to quote a favorite cartoon character .... "Be Afwaid, Very Afwaid".

This is just pointing out the not-so-obvious that is hidden deep within the TOS, and other 'gotcha's' that you won't realize until after you give up your $ and privacy!

First:

Here is the contact info for MagicJack:

PO BOX 6785, West Palm Beach, FL 33405

Magic Jack Phone number: 281-404-1551

Billing MagicJack number: 561-594-2140

CAUTION: it looks like they track the number that calls and places you into a repeating loop if you call back a second time. so if you need to call a second time make sure its from a different number.

Second:

In the TOS you agree that everything in your computer is fair game for them to know about, all web sites, email, and numbers called are there [sic] info.

You agree to have all of your information resold to third parties.

There is no Un-install for this program. Even if you stop using it, it gathers your information.

You are put under high pressure to sign up and pay for 5 years.

There is no published phone number, email address, or mailing address.

All customer support is done via type in the box chat.

There is no written warranty on the box. It breaks, you buy another to maintain your service.

Computer must be left on to make or receive calls.

Pop up window comes to front of screen anytime there is a call in or out call.

MajicJack Spyware slows down your computer even when you are not using MagicJack

Advertising is in the pop up box.

And yes, you do save around $150 a year not using a real Voip company.

At what little price people put on the information and security.

So ask yourself, is it really worth it?

Wait .... there's more.

Majic Jack is owned and run by YMAX. They are not a stand alone VoIP provider.

Also .....

"The software for the MagicJack does not run directly from the device. It fully installs on the Windows system, which also makes the MagicJack less attractive for situations where one might want to use it on someone else's computer (say when visiting family). Making this even worse, there was no easy way to uninstall the software from the system, with the program not even showing up in the Windows Remove Program window. UPDATE: MagicJack confirmed that there is currently no easy way to uninstall the software. The process required to uninstall the software requires multiple Windows Registry edits and the removal of several folders on the Windows system. Based on this, I wouldn't recommend using the MagicJack on the systems of friends, family or business associates." -- (see magicjack fails to cast a voip spell)

Nobody should accept having to leave unwanted software on a personal computer, or any tell-tale trace of the MJ program on a public computer, a business workstation, or a borrowed device.

The key concepts here are action and intent. IF MJ is not actively monitoring computer activity and collecting data about its customers, that's great. They would be taking no action that anyone could be concerned about.

But consider their intent. Their TOS spell out their intent -- the intent to feed context sensitive advertising, which requires manipulation of information from your brain through their software into their processors. There seems to be little restriction of what info their software can see. (Kind of like your home builder installing bugging devices and cameras into your bedroom, just not yet watching the feed.) Then there is the ability of MJ to modify their software (upgrape, anyone?) at any time, without the common user's ability to stop it, and that revision could include the spyware coding. While you, the uncommon user, have the ability to see what they are doing, the common user has no idea when the change is made. Now let's consider MJ's intent of not building in an UNINSTALL capability. I am suggesting that this exposes MJ's intent to have their software on your PC whether you're an active phone customer or not. What would be the intent of having that software on the PC of a former customer? (Consider, also, their "convenience" feature of taking the device with you so you can use it on a friend's PC -- thus installing the software on that machine, too!) What information could that software obtain that would be of value to MJ? And what could the common user do to stop it?

MJ could shut down their phone service tomorrow, and they have a window into 1 million PCs -- to feed advertising, log key strokes, and obtain surfing patterns.

By laughing at the TOS provisions, you are overlooking that they are warning you of their intent -- and protecting themselves from future legal action. "We told them what we were going to do. It was in our terms of service and the customers agreed." Case dismissed.

Several years ago there was another nice utility that was offered -- Weather Bug. Everyone liked Weather Bug. You downloaded a program and it was nice enough to give you accurate weather forecasts -- while it spied on you. That little program helped popularize the anti-spyware industry, which now extracts $50 a year out of millions of users.

Action: not guilty.

Intent: too soon to know for sure, but all the clues are right out there in the sunshine. You won't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure this one out.

From their EULA:

“You also understand and agree that use of the magicJack device and Software will include advertisements and that these advertisements are necessary for the magicJack device to work … Our computers may analyze the phone numbers you call in order to improve the relevance of the ads”.

Any claims, legal proceeding or litigation arising in connection with the magicJack device or Software will be resolved by binding arbitration … in Palm Beach, Florida.”

In short, it not only has one agree to ads with its paid-for system, but claims that the ads are necessary for it to work. It will also snoop on your calls to target ads more accurately, and has you sign away your legal right to take it to court if it defrauds or otherwise harms you. Delightful.

Neither the EULA itself, nor any other privacy or legal information, can be easily found at its homepage. It’s not even provided at the point of sale, where one enters credit card info, email and street addresses as such, so as to gain access to the service and have your MagicJack dongle delivered. I found the EULA’s URL through Google.

When you access MajicJack’s instant web help page, a bizarre series of “compatibility tests” take place first, reporting lies like “Your MagicJack is functioning properly” even if you don’t have one installed.

Even the “look how many people came for a free trial” counter on the homepage is a fake, a javascript applet that increments itself automatically:

// the interval (ms) between new visitors var interval = Math.round(86400000/perday);

As if targeted advertising, systematic privacy invasion, and the signing away of your legal rights wasn’t evil enough!

[end of quote]

Submitted Link #1: http://broadband-nation.blogspot.com/2008/10/real-...