Ex-GOP Figure Faces $81,000 Bill in Yacht Tax

Jack E. Robinson, the one-time Republican candidate who once declared ''tax avoidance is perfectly legal," has failed in his attempt to avoid paying $20,000 in sales tax on his 49-foot luxury yacht, and it will cost him dearly.

Robinson, who two years ago led an unsuccessful campaign to abolish the auto excise tax in Massachusetts, now faces a bill that has quadrupled to $81,000, as a result of a ruling by the state's Appellate Tax Board, along with penalties, interest, and fees.

In a decision rendered this month, the tax board rejected Robinson's argument that the $400,000 yacht that he purchased in early 2000 was exempt from Massachusetts sales tax because he was planning to berth it at a mooring in Newport, R.I. Robinson did not return calls to his law office last week and yesterday.

Robinson had signed a sworn statement dated Sept. 9, 2000, that said the boat was delivered to him in Newport. But the tax board found that the boat never left Massachusetts. The boat, a French-built Beneteau 50 that he named Excalibur, was housed the entire eight months that he owned it at a Cape Cod marina, according to the tax board.
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