Avoiding fuel taxes

[TXiceman]

He is committing a crime and needs to be reported to the proper authorities. The "COPS' can't be everywher, so you need to report law breakers.

Ken

[Midniteoyl]

Originally Posted by MaverickBBD

I guess what I was trying to get across was that it is not MY job to police society. Anymore then I feel it is our nation's responsibility to be the world's policeman. I will leave that to the George Zimmermans of the world.

So if I rob your neighbors house or coach, or even mug them, you would just shrug and turn away? Or watch?

[slickest1]

Sometimes reporting a crime is more hassle for the reporter, than it is for the person committing the crime! Been their and done that.

[BigSkyBob]

I am the OP and now I really regret posting this experience. Some of the comments make me feel like a criminal for not confronting this gentleman and risk getting more hassle than I prepared to deal with. If I witnessed a robbery or an abduction being committed I'd certainly do my best to intervene, but IMHO this dude will get his sometime down the road if he continues to practice this method of fueling with off road fuel. But in all honesty, I don't feel it's my station in life to police the diesel pumps to make certain no one abuses the system. Is it wrong, you bet your bippy it is, but I just can't place it in the category of not "confronting evil" to not do anything about it.

[Midniteoyl]

Originally Posted by BigSkyBob

I am the OP and now I really regret posting this experience. Some of the comments make me feel like a criminal for not confronting this gentleman and risk getting more hassle than I prepared to deal with. If I witnessed a robbery or an abduction being committed I'd certainly do my best to intervene, but IMHO this dude will get his sometime down the road if he continues to practice this method of fueling with off road fuel. But in all honesty, I don't feel it's my station in life to police the diesel pumps to make certain no one abuses the system. Is it wrong, you bet your bippy it is, but I just can't place it in the category of not "confronting evil" to not do anything about it.

No worries..

[TXiceman]

I would never confront the law breaker. Simply copy his license number and reoport him to the state authorities


Ken

[Sequim Guy]

Originally Posted by BigSkyBob

I am the OP and now I really regret posting this experience. Some of the comments make me feel like a criminal for not confronting this gentleman and risk getting more hassle than I prepared to deal with. If I witnessed a robbery or an abduction being committed I'd certainly do my best to intervene, but IMHO this dude will get his sometime down the road if he continues to practice this method of fueling with off road fuel. But in all honesty, I don't feel it's my station in life to police the diesel pumps to make certain no one abuses the system. Is it wrong, you bet your bippy it is, but I just can't place it in the category of not "confronting evil" to not do anything about it.

You have been on these threads long enough to know that no matter what
you post, someone will find fault with it and eagerly tell you all about why
you are wrong.
There are so many different opinions here, sometimes it's hard to figure out.
So never worry about what you post, you will always be wrong to some folks.


.

[Elkhartjim]

I keep thinking about a post some time ago where the poster had inadvertently fueled at the off-road pump and totally freaked out when he realized he had a tank of dyed fuel. I don't remember how the station handled the situation but needless to say, the poster was scared to death he would be caught.

Maybe the alleged tax cheat in this story didn't know he was at the wrong pump. I'm amazed how many diesel users don't know about off-road (dyed) fuel. Just sayin'.

[Midniteoyl]

According to the OP, he replied "..and its 47 cents cheaper...", so I would tend to believe he knew..

[RoyM]

I have never seen a dyed fuel pump at a service station, here it must be picked up at the bulk station or delivered. That aside, I hate to see the system abused. I dislike taxes as much as anybody but the guy is a thief pure and simple and should be reported. He is taking advantage and removing dollars from the funds desperately needed to maintain the roads he uses, the rest of us make up the difference.

[sirpurrcival]

Those that suggest that the correct way to handle the situation (if you chose to handle it) would be simply to write down the license plate and make the call and leave it at that are correct. If the police choose to do something about it, then that is their prerogative. But at the same time, it can be a fine line deciding when to act and when to leave well enough alone. I only wish that when I made an arrangement with my neighbour to leave my rig on his boulevard nicely out of everybody's way and nicely wrapped up for the winter that some self-righteous individual hadn't decided to launch a complaint with the city. The outcome of that was that I then had to park it on the street which impeded the view of oncoming traffic, forced pedestrians into the centre of the road to walk around it and generally created more risk for everyone. Even the city guys who came to talk to me about it were profusely apologetic about the situation. They outright said that if they had any loophole to leave it where it was, they would have used it as it was a far better solution than the "legal" one. The moral is sometimes you do the "right thing for the right reason", sometimes you do the "right thing for the wrong reason" and sometimes you do the "wrong thing for the right reason".

[LadyFitz...]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

I would never confront the law breaker. Simply copy his license number and reoport him to the state authorities


Ken

Exactly. Confronting the law breaker is a job for the police (although I will admit to having done so; Irish temper and all that). Reporting is easy. You don't even have to tell them who you are (although I do). Just make sure your phone number is blocked (on most phones, *67 before the number will block your number from being IDed). Discretely taking pictures wouldn't hurt, either, if you don't mind getting a bit more involved.

[336muffin]

I appoligize but if I let my camper go down a hill a little over the speed limit is some body going to make a call to the Police? When somebody hires a illegal alien to do yard work in their yard are you going to call the IRS and turn me in? There's going to be a lot of calls being made across America on tattiling on one another. I see your reasoning but if you see me doing something wrong, tell me and get the facts before jumping to conclusions. I wish I had a separate fuel tank just for my generator, maybe he did. On my first DP in 19995 we had a gas gen and a diesel engine, 2 separate tanks. All I'm saying , I'm too busy with my own back yard to worry about your weeds.

[Dunner]

Originally Posted by LadyFitz...

Exactly. Confronting the law breaker is a job for the police (although I will admit to having done so; Irish temper and all that). Reporting is easy. You don't even have to tell them who you are (although I do). Just make sure your phone number is blocked (on most phones, *67 before the number will block your number from being IDed). Discretely taking pictures wouldn't hurt, either, if you don't mind getting a bit more involved.

You can't block the police from knowing what number you are calling from any more so than you can block the banks from knowing when you call to verify a new credit card. I have automatic call blocking and when I was setting up a "Telemergency" for my mother, it automatically dialed 911 after the first three numbers didn't answer. I hung up before they answered, but a policeman was at my door within minutes. He even wanted to search my house to see if I was hiding someone else inside that could have called.

Another time I called the non-emergency police number to report a vehicle sitting on the street with cob webs hanging off the tires and no current registration. I did not say who I was or give my number, but I got a call back.