On Kerry, yachts, and avoiding taxes

First up, the line of the day (via @PunditReview):

“I’m John Kerry, and I’m Reporting for Duty Free!” – @SolBlog

The story:

Sen. John Kerry, who has repeatedly voted to raise taxes while in Congress, dodged a whopping six-figure state tax bill on his new multimillion-dollar yacht by mooring her in Newport, R.I.

Isabel – Kerry’s luxe, 76-foot New Zealand-built Friendship sloop with an Edwardian-style, glossy varnished teak interior, two VIP main cabins and a pilothouse fitted with a wet bar and cold wine storage – was designed by Rhode Island boat designer Ted Fontaine.

But instead of berthing the vessel in Nantucket, where the senator summers with the missus, Teresa Heinz, Isabel’s hailing port is listed as “Newport” on her stern.

When questioned by the media, Kerry made it clear he’d had enough (via @gabrielmalor):

“There’s nothing more to say about it,” he told reporters at an event at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station Monday.

The “Isabel” is docked in Rhode Island rather than at Kerry’s summer home on Nantucket or in Boston Harbor. That means he avoids paying nearly $500,000 in taxes to Massachusetts and he doesn’t have to pay a $70,000-a-year excise tax.

Rhode Island repealed those taxes in 1993. That has made the state something of a nautical tax haven.

“Let’s get this very straight, I’ve said consistently we will pay our taxes, we have always paid our taxes. It’s not an issue period,” he said.

Last week, when the Boston Herald broke the story, Kerry’s office released a statement saying, “The boat was designed by and purchased from a company in Rhode Island, and it’s based in Newport at the Newport Shipyard for long term maintenance, upkeep and charter purposes, not tax reasons.”

“It’s being worked on. It’s under warranty down there. It’s being worked on and it will come to Massachusetts and I look forward to that,” Kerry said Monday.

When asked “Did you berth the boat in Massachusetts?” he replied, “That depends on who owns it.”

Then, he said to his driver, “Can I get out of here please?”

No word yet on whether Vice President Joe Biden has called and spoken to the Kerrys privately about how they are not performing their “patriotic duty” to the fullest extent of the law …

We’ll just file this one under “Example of Liberal Hypocrisy – Number 5,273,422,678.”

BTW, the Associated Press has a photo of the yacht. Very nice.