Originally Posted by Jeremy5848

The fee goes toward managing the proper disposal of the gasoline, diesel, oil, and other fluids and materials that are removed from the cars before they are put out for us to pick apart. The yards have to pay a fee to the state but they are allowed to pass it, or part of it, on to the customer. The fee pays for the people who enforce the rules; unscrupulous yards would otherwise be tempted to dump stuff anywhere. Even with all of the fees it's still better than buying new parts and a lot more fun.

A tax on the admission fee is a strange one, I agree. California is desperate for tax revenue, that's for sure, they're taxing everything they can.

Here's an example for the person who was asking (sorry for the lack of formatting):

Item Price
Vacuum pump $14.99
Core charge $2.99
Coolant overflow $3.49
Outside temperature display $3.99
Subtotal $25.46
Admission tax $0.16
Environmental fee $1.97
Sales tax $2.20
Total $29.79
Admission $2.00
Grand total $31.79

These prices are all from the 50% sale -- regular prices are twice these numbers. The vacuum pump was a nearly-new Pierburg, over $300 from FastLane, $418 from the dealer. That's a bargain no matter what the extra charges are. If I had an old vacuum pump I could get the core charge back but it would cost $2.99 in fuel just to drive there and back, not worth the bother.

Jeremy