- National Park Service Declares Fee-Free Days
- Trump’s Proposed Budget Cuts Impact the National Parks
- Montana Homebase Changes
- Big Changes Ahead for the State of Oregon
- Latest Recalls
National Park Service Declares 2017 Fee-Free Days
First the good news! The National Park Service (NPS) is declaring fee-free days in 2017: August 25, September 30, and November 11-12. In addition to the highly popular sites such as Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, there are plenty of lesser-known parks to check out including Congaree in South Carolina, Dry Tortugas in Florida, and North Cascades in Washington.
Earlier this year, four days in April were fee-free. I hope you took advantage of this great opportunity during your travels. The $10 Lifetime pass is still available for everyone over 62 years of age. Other discount passes are also available. For details, click HERE.
Trump’s Proposed Budget Cuts Impact
the National Parks
“The RV Industry Association (RVIA) expresses concern about the ability to address the $12 billion maintenance backlog while absorbing a 12 percent decrease in the Department of Interior’s budget,” the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association said in a news release.
According to the RVIA, Trump’s budget proposes a $52 billion increase in defense spending offset by cuts to most other agencies—including a 21 percent decrease in funding to the Department of Agriculture, a 12 percent decrease in funding for the Department of the Interior and a 16 percent cut to the Army Corps of Engineers.
The RVIA said the budget would cut $1.5 billion from the Department of the Interior. That department oversees the National Parks Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management, three federal agencies at the center of outdoor recreation in the nation.
“Investing in America’s great outdoors is imperative to safeguard the health of the $50 billion RV economy,” said RVIA President Frank Hugelmeyer. “At a time with a record number of RVs headed into the outdoors, steps should be taken to ensure adequate and safe infrastructure exists for this revenue driving segment of the federal government.”
Expect Montana Homebase Changes Soon
Montana lawmakers are scaling back their so-called “Ferrari tax” on cars and recreational vehicles worth more than $150,000. Originally, the tax called for $1,500 surcharge if your RV costs $150,000 or more.
As reported by the Associated Press, the Legislature originally called for taxing those luxury vehicles between .08% and 1% of the retail price, depending on the age of the vehicle.
The RV Dealers lobby objected and managed to get the fee scaled back. The measure now would add an $825 fee on top of regular motor vehicle registration costs for 10 years. Still, this may cause full-time RVers to look for another homebase state.
Read the rest of the story . . .
For other homebase options, click HERE.
Big Changes Ahead for the State of Oregon
Oregon is in the process of creating some sort of sales tax to finance their billion dollar budget deficit. Right now the push is to add a special tax on the sale of new cars, RVs, motorcycles, and bicycles. Increases in vehicle registration and associated title fees are on the way too. This tax would start at 1% and adjust upward in the future.
Even with the increases, Oregon would retain their title as the low-cost state for full-time RVers. Residency requirements are strict in this state and proof is required at registration.
RV Scam Pops Up Again
National RV Inspectors Association (NRVIA.org) explores many avenues for detecting scams, including verifying vehicle identification numbers, checking data plates, comparing the online ads to the RV’s current conditions, and by sharing news of online predators.
Within the last few months, NRVIA has several calls from RV sellers who had received e-mails from a buyer who was interested in purchasing the RV for sale listed by the seller on an online listing site. The details listed here are used in each scam attempt and the sellers are advised by NRVIA to report the potential scam to the online listing site personnel for immediate action to block the scammer.
Please note this script is repeated in every scam attempt:
- The buyer stated he could not talk by phone due to a hearing loss and therefore only available by email.
- The buyer expressed an immediate need to buy the RV for sale (motorhome in all the cases we are aware of) and did not try to negotiate a better price or request any documents from seller.
- The buyer stated he had acquired the services of an NRVIA Certified RV Inspector and planned to have the unit inspected (but did not share contact info on the inspector, nor a date of when the inspection was to take place).
- The buyer requested bank account information from the seller so the buyer could transfer a deposit for the unit.
- The buyer stated they had mailed a deposit to the seller in a very large amount (not set by the seller) which was “accidentally incorrect and the bank’s fault,” with a request to the seller to cash the check and pay the inspector directly for the inspection (which was $1,200).
Latest Recalls
Winnebago Industries Inc.: recalling 5,057 2014-2017 Winnebago View, VIA, ERA, and Itasca Navion motorhomes.
Grand Design RV LLC: recalling 1,662 2017-2018 Imagine travel trailers. URGENT!
Riverside RV (Riverside) is recalling 146 2017-2018 Whitewater and Mt. McKinley travel trailers.
Thor Motor Coach (TMC): recalling 36 2017 Quantum KM24 motorhomes.
Forest River Inc.: recalling 32 2017-2018 Prime Time Avenger motorhomes, model AVT31DBS.
Livin’ Lite Recreational Vehicles: recalling five 2018 Quicksilver recreational trailers, model TH 7X20. URGENT!
Tiffin recalls 4,990 RVs to fix tow hitch defect.
Moving On With Margo 