Utah
California And Utah Are Finally Cracking Down On Their Rich Residents Who Register Supercars In Montana To Avoid Paying Taxes – Jalopnik
If you’re anything like us here at Jalopnik, then you’re tired of watching the ultra-wealthy exploiting loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of the taxes that you and I pay, whether it’s dodging income tax, or dodging sales tax on million-dollar supercar registrations. The U.S. Treasury estimates that the richest 1% of U.S. citizens underpay their taxes by $163 billion every year, and though the Montana car registration loophole might not equate to as much in skipped taxes, it’s yet another way that the rampant income inequality in our country is intensified. All that wealthy car owners have to do is spend around $1,000 to open an LLC in Montana, then use the LLC to purchase a car with no sales tax — and said car is not subject to vehicle inspections or emissions testing.
This tactic isn’t employed by one or two people; as of 2023, there were 2.3 million vehicles registered in the state of Montana, though there are only 879,000 licensed drivers in the state. That comes out to 2.68 vehicles per licensed Montanan, which is by far the highest vehicle-to-driver ratio in the United States, and more than double the national average according to Bloomberg. And it gets worse.
The numbers don’t add up
Looking at publicly available data from the Montana Motor Vehicle Division, Bloomberg Tax found that there were 10,757 registrations of vehicles made by Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Pagani, and Rolls Royce in 2024. When looking at Washington state’s 2024 registrations from the same automakers, a state that has seven times the population of Montana, just 2,479 were registered.
5,281 Ferraris were registered in Montana in 2024, compared to just 837 in Washington, a state that’s home to 10 Fortune 500 companies. Washington has 7.81 million residents, and Montana has just 1.13 million, yet we’re supposed to believe that Montana had over five times the number of Ferrari registrations? Okay, sure.
That’s not the only glaring statistic. Washington had 0 Bugatti registrations in 2024, while Montana had 131. Montana had 1,966 Lamborghini registrations in 2023 while Washington had 340. 920 Rolls-Royces were registered in Montana compared to 155 in Washington. According to Bloomberg, former Montana revenue director Dan Bucks said there are likely more than 600,000 vehicles registered in Montana but operated in other states.
California and Utah are finally fighting back
The state of California is home to more cars than any other state in The Union, and its DMV says 10,000 vehicles worth nearly $2 billion were sold by California dealers to Montana LLCs since 2022. As a native Angeleno, I often see million-dollar hypercars at shows and on the streets sporting Montana plates, so what’s the Golden State going to do about it? Apparently, the DMV is now using surveillance systems and plate readers along state roadways to search for vehicles with Montana plates and find registration violators and tax evaders.
Utah is taking even more drastic measures to put an end to this way that the rich are getting out of paying the same taxes as everyone else. Bloomberg reports,
“Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed a law on March 25 launching the most ambitious enforcement campaign in the country—a data-sharing arrangement to locate and assess tens of thousands of Utah tax evaders, with a particular focus on the owners of cars and boats registered in Montana. Supporters say the effort could yield up to $100 million in back taxes, penalties and registration fees.
This is really an abuse of our tax system,” said Utah tax commissioner John Valentine. “They pay nothing to support our state, just a small fee to Montana for the opportunity to evade taxes in Utah.”
Two wrongs don’t make a right
In Montana, several businesses have formed to aid the ultra wealthy with their tax evasion, including “tax jails” and consultants to help people through the necessary processes. Bloomberg cites a Florida business called Dirt Legal that publicly advertises that it has formed Montana LLCs for nearly 47,000 customers across every state. It appears these businesses have no shame about their immoral ways; Dirt Legal has customer testimonials on its site including one Bloomberg cited that reads,
“”Dirt Legal made registering my new 2024 Mercedes AMG GLE coupe seamless, saving me around $6k in taxes—an absolute no brainer!” read a February online posting from someone identified as Tyler F.”
If the tax evaders trying to take advantage of the Montana plate loophole happens to live in a state like California that requires vehicles to be delivered and kept out of state for a minimum of 12 months, that’s where “tax jails” come in handy. These tax jails are warehouses and storage facilities that store and care for these often exceedingly valuable vehicles in the state of Montana for the necessary amount of time to maintain legality when they’re eventually shipped to the state that their owners actually live.
In most states, this shady practice is not technically illegal
California has a law that says residents don’t owe sales tax on vehicles if they’re delivered to another state and kept there for at least 12 months before being brought into California. The California Department of Motor Vehicles is using its plate readers to find vehicles with Montana license plates and investigate whether the vehicle spent 12 months outside of California before it entered the state. If the DMV finds that the vehicle didn’t get delivered and spend the legally required 12 months outside of the state, the owner may be fined. Florida has a similar law that requires vehicles spend 6 months outside of the state, and Arizona has a similar 90-day rule. Since implementing the surveillance tactics, California DMV investigators say they have collected $1.6 million in taxes, registration fees, and penalties on 62 vehicles. As far as Utah goes, Bloomberg reports,
“Cox signed SB 52 last month, and the state launched plans for a comprehensive enforcement initiative that will cross-check data from the Tax Commission and the state’s Uninsured Motorist Identification Database to create a list of names and home addresses of potential tax scofflaws.
After a public awareness campaign this year, violators will have 60 days to remit unpaid sales taxes and registration fees for vehicles and vessels plated outside of Utah. Failure to voluntarily comply could mean enhanced enforcement and penalties.”
Here’s the problem
We live in a society that values money over everything else, and despite having more money than the other 99% of society, the wealthiest 1% can leverage their absurd wealth by paying someone to make sure that every move they make is as lucrative as possible. Capitalism dictates that those who “earn” their way into obscene wealth through “hard work,” and definitely not through nepotism, exploitation, or generational wealth, shouldn’t have to waste their “hard earned” money on the rest of the country that doesn’t make as much money as them.
The taxes that these folks are evading exist to fund public works projects like roadway management, upkeep, and projects to minimize the environmental impact of cars. These people then drive their cars on the very roads whose upkeep they opted out of funding, despite having such vast surpluses of money that they can afford to drop a couple million dollars on a Bugatti, pay to form an LLC in Montana, pay to have it stored for a year, then pay to have it shipped to their home in Malibu so they can pay to insure it, maintain it, and fuel it. All while citizens with average incomes who struggle to make ends meet end up paying their state taxes every year. Sure there are ways to do this that don’t technically break any laws, but they are immoral, unjust, and slimy. It actively makes life worse for everyone else in their state who breathes air, drives or ever uses roads, because multimillionaire John P. Moneybags decided that it’s more important for him to save a few grand on his million-dollar Ferrari than it is to pay his fair share to maintain the roads he drives said Ferrari on.
Let us know in the comments below, are you as enraged by this as me? Or do you, like the noble Jordan Belfort, choose rich every freaking time and think it’s a smart way to save money?
Last year, a Reddit thread circulated asking the question, “Who is the worst Canadian?” To little surprise, Ted Cruz was among those who were named.
You know Ted, right? That unctuous Texas Senator who revels in appearing smart but who gives off spider vibes? His name being on the list was not a surprise.
Neither was Elon Musk who, while not born in Canada, does bear a Canadian passport since his mother was born there. You know, birthright stuff.
At the time, Elon was dismantling much of the United States infrastructure in the name of DOGE. (Did you ever get your $2,000 check? Do we currently miss USAID in the emerging Ebola zones?) It’s little wonder that Elon scored so well on the dishonor list, never mind that he wasn’t even living in Canada during the polling.
Other prominent names included hockey legend Wayne Gretzky (a living example of the motif ETTD—Everything Trump Touches Dies—if there ever was one), politician and philosopher Jordan Peterson, who affirms that masculinity is under assault while he assaults everything, plus Gavin McInnes, a Proud Boys founder who had relocated to the good ole USA.
The list morphed into an NCAA playoff structure, with brackets that culled the field down to a final winner. I’m going to ask the editors at City Weekly to create a similar bracket that our readers can vote in to find this year’s Worst Utahn.
Can you imagine a showdown between Mike Lee and Trevor Lee in the finals? I can. Or maybe it could be 2024 Spencer Cox against 2026 Spencer Cox—one cusping on bad, the other embracing it.
Utah’s new favorite authority, Kevin O’Leary, might also be on the Worst Utahn list, due to his proximity to all things powerful and secret at the state government level. If Kevin gets his way with the proposed giant data center in Box Elder County, he might even be a full-fledged Utah resident by then. That means, woefully, I’ll have to boycott Box Elder County.
I’m no good at boycotts. I’m weak—so yeah, I lied. I’ll still eat the great peaches and I’ll still eat at Maddox Steak House in Perry. But only when Kevin isn’t around.
We’ve been warned, you know. Along with the other worst Canadians on the Canada list was “Mr. Wonderful” himself, Kevin O’Leary. What kind of snipe would embrace calling himself Mr. Wonderful? Especially one as handsome-reverse as Kevin O’Leary? Well, there’s one, and it’s more apropos—the late, great Paul Orndorff of World Wrestling Federation fame. He had a better run at being Mr. Wonderful than O’Leary ever will.
O’Leary didn’t give himself the name. One of his fellow billionaire panelists on Shark Tank provided that moniker after he tried to mind-wrassle an inventor out of a money-making idea. He even trademarked the name. If that sounds Trumpian, it is.
Among the many dubious qualities that are associated with O’Leary is the recurring one that he often emulates president—and fellow self-proclaimed brilliant businessman—Donald Trump. He does sound like him here and there, in both brashness and bullshit.
Utahns don’t need reminding that one day, we were blissfully unaware that anyone was even purchasing land in Box Elder County, only to awaken the next day to find that an O’Leary-led cabal of Utah political sad sacks had quietly compiled a 40,000-acre aggregation destined to become the largest water and land-use boondoggle known to modern man. We Utah historians correctly note that the floods that floated Noah were of grander scale, but this one is right up there.
The hue and cry from all corners were loud and clear: Utah does not welcome the idea of an interloper coming in with paid-off politicians in arms, selling the prospect of a massive data center and arriving without so much as a local hearing. Utah was blindsided.
When locals protested, O’Leary again donned his Donald Trump costume, marched into the friendly studios of Fox News and spouted off the lies that protesters were bussed in, that we must love our country in this critical time and that China can’t win the data center wars.
The USA has 40% of all data centers worldwide, with more coming. But such information cannot dissuade the average Fox viewer, who is over 65 years old and will be dead when the data center begins siphoning Utah water and cooking the remaining residents of Box Elder County inside their very own Air Fryer.
But O’Leary’s biggest lie was saved for two women—also a Trumpian move. He accused Utah-born Gabi Finlayson and Jackie Morgan (both of Elevate Utah, which is indeed politically aligned toward the Democratic party) as being paid agents of China. Their crime? Exposing O’Leary, Cox and the rest as being as useless as teats on a Box Elder bull.
Finlayson and Morgan took to their own social media, delivering a master class in mockery that accelerated them to social media stardom and exposed O’Leary as a bumbling asshole. Not dissuaded, O’Leary also stupidly punched at Senate candidate Caroline Gleich, who similarly punched back with the reminder that while she has no foreign ties, O’Leary himself is not only Canadian by birth, but is also a citizen of the UAE—who is the foreigner again?
I’m thrilled to no end to see these “masculine” men kneecapped by stronger women.
If they see this, I’ll buy tequila shooters for Gabi, Jackie and Caroline. By the looks of things, all across the entire political spectrum, it will be women who save us from ourselves and from unwelcome political grabs.
We may need data centers. We don’t need Mr. Not-So-Wonderful.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah football’s first official visit weekend of the 2027 recruiting cycle has already produced a payoff, as Morgan Scalley has landed the commitment of three-star offensive lineman Sire Stewart.
Stewart, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound offensive tackle out of Chandler High School in Arizona, became one of the key names to watch coming into the weekend.
Utah hosted several offensive line targets as part of its first official visit group, and Stewart leaving Salt Lake City committed gives the Utes a tangible recruiting win at a priority position.
A Fast Win For Utah’s New Recruiting Operation
Utah’s first official visit weekend under Scalley was always going to be about more than hosting prospects. It was the first major chance for the new regime to show recruits and families what the program looks like with Scalley as head coach and D’Orazio helping guide the roster-building operation.
Stewart’s commitment gives Utah an early return from that effort.
The Utes need momentum in the 2027 class, and official visit weekends are where that momentum often starts. Landing an offensive lineman from Arizona also reinforces one of Utah’s most important recruiting priorities: continuing to build regionally while identifying prospects who fit the program’s developmental model.
Stewart had official visits scheduled to Washington State and Boise State but elected to give his pledge to the Utes instead.
Utah Got In Early
Utah’s pursuit of Stewart did not begin this weekend. Offensive line coach Jordan Gross offered Stewart in early February, with the Utes becoming his 10th offer and third Power Four opportunity behind Duke and Arizona. Since then, Stewart has added offers from Oklahoma State, Baylor and Cal, while also making an unofficial visit to Arizona State.
Utah was not late to the evaluation. The Utes identified Stewart early, prioritized him and then got him on campus for the first official visit weekend of the cycle. In modern recruiting, that kind of early relationship-building is important.
Gross may be new to college coaching, but this is a good first recruiting win. He gives Utah a unique offensive line pitch. He played at Utah, became one of the program’s best examples of development translating to the NFL, and now gets to sell that same path to recruits. For a prospect like Stewart, Utah can offer both a developmental plan and a real example of what that plan can become.
Building The Class Up Front
Stewart’s commitment also continues a clear early theme for Utah. The Utes are prioritizing the trenches, particularly from the high school ranks.
Utah has long built its program around line-of-scrimmage play, and that identity is not expected to change under Scalley. If anything, it appears to be one of the first pieces of the roster construction plan being emphasized in the 2027 class.
Stewart gives Utah a developmental offensive line prospect with the frame to grow into a Big 12 lineman. Listed by 247Sports at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, he still has room to add strength and mass, but the foundation is there.
This commitment gives Utah momentum, but particularly with the offensive linemen they’re in pursuit of. Utah will continue to push for fellow offensive linemen Lincoln Mageo, Ian Aloisio, Tye Kennedy, Damian Anyasodo, Gecova Doyal, and Amaziah Siale.
Mageo and Doyal were also part of the visit with Stewart, giving Utah an added presence to recruit those two. Kennedy and Anyasodo will officially visit the Salt Lake City this weeend, while Siale has been a big priority for Utah and will visit at the end of the month.
The Bottom Line
Sire Stewart’s commitment is not just another name on Utah’s 2027 board. It is the first real proof point from the Utes’ opening official visit weekend under Scalley.
Utah identified him early, got him to campus and closed. That is what good recruiting operations are supposed to do.
For Stewart, the commitment gives him a clear developmental home in a program that has long valued offensive line play. For Utah, it adds another piece to a 2027 class that needs to reflect the new regime’s roster-building vision.
The Utes have always believed in winning up front. Stewart’s commitment shows that message is still central to how Utah plans to build.
Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.
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SALT LAKE CITY — Lucas Horns points over a fence on Main Street toward an empty lot with a blue shipping container on it, tucked between downtown Salt Lake City’s tallest buildings.
That container, he explains, will serve as a makeshift bar on Thursdays and Fridays through the remainder of summer, set up next to a live music stage and a space that will be dedicated to various lawn games for people of all ages. The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art will provide some art as part of an outdoor sculpture and food and drink venue combination aimed to liven up an otherwise dead space.
“Our hope is just to add to the ecosystem,” said Horns, program director for the Blocks, a joint venture between Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County to develop arts and culture programs within the downtown area.
The Blocks is launching what it calls the “Art Garten” in the lot of the old Utah Pantages Theater, 144 S. Main, beginning this week. It’s a free event that blends a beer garden with live music, art and games for all ages.
A DJ will be spinning hits from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, while live music from the steps of the Eccles Theater across the street will fill the air during the same hours on Friday. A rotating list of DJs and live bands will fill in the space during the same hours twice a week for the next few months.
The event will include a rotating food truck lineup, along with cornhole, giant chess and other lawn games for people of all ages. The Blocks didn’t want to compete with bars and restaurants, so the hours hit around happy hour, while also being friendly for people with families, Horns said.
“We were interested in adding something new to downtown,” he told KSL. “There aren’t a lot of spaces where families can go, and the parents can grab a beer and hang out while their kids play lawn games. That’s kind of a rarity in Utah, and especially downtown, so I think we’re filling an important niche.”
At the same time, it livens up a piece of Main Street that’s been lifeless for years.
The Utah Pantages Theater was demolished in 2022, amid a last-second effort to preserve the century-old building. Salt Lake leaders approved a $0 sale of the building to international real estate firm Hines and local developer Joel LaSalle in 2019, setting the stage for a proposed 31-story residential high-rise on Main Street.
However, the project stalled with the market. “Unprecedented market changes,” such as record inflation, emerged at approximately the same time as the theater was demolished, making it difficult to secure financing for the project off the ground, a spokesperson for Hines told KSL in 2024.
The situation hasn’t changed much since then, leaving Main Street with a vacant lot blocked off by a large wooden board for years. Some of the lessons from “Open Streets” and other downtown activation events helped piece together an event to use the space while it remains vacant.
“We’re excited just to be able to do a pop-up park like that in that location on Main Street, with programming unlike anything else we’ve done on Main Street,” said Dee Brewer, director of the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance. “I’m really excited to see how the public responds.”
Hines cleared the space for the event, which will continue on Thursdays and Fridays through the end of September. Horns and Brewer say they expect the venue to return next year and potentially longer, depending on how long the tower project remains on pause.
It may not be the perfect solution to a development holdup, but they believe it’s an upgrade from the current situation.
“A blank, empty wall is never good for walkability or for the urban environment,” Horns said.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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