Since the summer of 2004, whenever a customer pushes back from the desk and opts to think about the deal over a cup of coffee and a sandwich, Bill Beck, owner of Mobile Structures and MSI Trailers, knows the sale is dead.

Beck said his sales, like the sales of many recreational vehicle and cargo trailer dealers across the state, have fallen since the Indiana General Assembly enacted a bill that required out-of-state buyers to pay Indiana sales tax on RVs and cargo trailers. Estimating that more than 85 percent of his business is to non-Indiana residents, Beck has watched his sales “cut down by a couple of million dollars.”

A pair of bills moving through the Indiana General Assembly will attempt to remedy the situation by exempting many out-of-state customers from paying the 6 percent Indiana sales tax.

A Senate bill would lift the sales tax requirement for non-Indiana residents who register the RV or cargo trailer in a state that provides the same sales tax exemption for Hoosiers who buy RVs and cargo trailers in that state.

Forty-one states offer the “drive-away exemption,” said Dennis Harney, executive director of the Indiana Manufactured Housing Association and Recreation Vehicle Indiana Council.

A House bill makes a broader sweep by eliminating the requirement to pay Indiana sales tax when the out-of-state buyer registers the RV or cargo trailer in any other state within 30 days of the purchase.

The Senate bill, whose sponsors include Marvin Riegsecker, R-Goshen, passed the chamber Tuesday by a vote of 49 to 1. The House bill, whose sponsors include Jackie Walorski, R-Lakeville, and Tim Neese, R-Elkhart, met no opposition as it passed on a vote of 94 to 0.

“This is good news,” said Walorski.

Riegsecker agreed. “We’ve made the case that we’re the RV capital of the world in Elkhart County. We’re important to the state of Indiana.”

The law requiring out-of-state residents to pay Indiana sales tax went into effect July 1, 2004. In 2005, the General Assembly changed the law and allowed out-of-state residents to pay either the Indiana sales tax or their state’s sales tax, depending on which was lower.

Dealers, however, then had to provide proof that the non-resident customer actually did license and tag the RV or cargo trailer in the other state.

“It was confusing,” said Rob Reid, owner of Great Lakes RV Center. “It just became an accounting nightmare.”

According to RV Business, the Legislature passed the original bill to raise revenue during a “financial crisis” within Indiana.

Beck does not believe the state realized any financial gain from the law because he believes any increase in sales tax revenue would have been offset by a decline in income tax revenue from dealers.

Moreover, Beck and Reid pointed out that the law hurt not only dealers but other businesses as well because buyers who came to Elkhart to buy a motorhome or trailer, would often stay in local hotels, eat at local restaurants and take time to sightsee and shop around the area.

“It has been a drastic situation for everyone in the business,” Beck said. “The bad thing is, it’s been so unfair.”

They are gas-guzzling behemoths. But pricey gasoline apparently won’t keep RVs and their owners away from the 25th annual Southeast Area Rally of the Family Motor Coach Association, which opens Wednesday at the Hernando County Airport.

By mid last week, 1,928 coaches had preregistered to establish a city of dazzling, decked-out homes on wheels for the ninth year at the airport. Because preregistration is not required, the number of coaches likely will surpass 2,000.

Last year’s event attracted 2,367 motor homes. The record was set in 1999 with 2,770 coaches.

The biggest vehicles these days, as long as 45 feet, some built on tractor-trailer chassis, may eke out as little as 5 miles per gallon.

And, yes, owners are affected by the high cost of gasoline, said Southeast Area Chapter president George M. Schipper of Brooksville.

“There’s no two ways about that,” Schipper said. “They also know they have an investment, and they want to use it. You adjust your lifestyle to make it fit.”

Hernando County’s location in Central Florida makes this rally an easy drive for in-state travelers who may feel the gas price pinch. But members are still coming from afar.

“It surprised me,” Schipper said as he looked over preregistrations. “We’ve got them from all the way out to Montana.”

Many attend the rally to renew friendships they made at previous visits. And there are seminars each day during which association members can learn about coach maintenance, fire and life safety, food preparation in limited spaces, and suggestions for back road travel.

Day visitors will have access to the seminars, as well as the opportunity to shop among the nearly 300 vendors and to trek through motor homes displayed by about 15 dealerships.

Schipper expects 3,000 to 4,000 visitors daily.

“I can’t believe how many people have been calling,” said the rally’s chief organizer for three years.

He attributed the interest to the just-ended Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa and a similar event recently in Fort Myers.

“The spinoff effect is great,” he said.

While dealerships exhibiting motor homes are down from nearly 30 last year, those attending will have as many coaches on display, Schipper said.

He’s excited about a new exhibitor, SuperBus, which custom-builds high-end coaches in Clermont.

Register RV Super Center of Brooksville is giving a nod this year to the gas-conscious and economy-minded. The only Hernando County dealer exhibiting at the show will feature tagalong recreational vehicles.

Many Hernando small businesses will be among the vendors - “everything from RV supplies, of course, to ladies’ clothing to jewelry to magic cloths for cleaning,” Schipper said.

Local civic and service organizations will help fill up food booths with fried, baked and frozen goodies.

Another local dimension is being added for the 25th event. Last year, the rally launched an on-site vehicle service center, staffed by out-of-towners.

“Instead, this year, we’re using local service vendors,” Schipper said.

Beyond the rally site, local businesses will profit, as they do each year, said Pat Crowley, executive director of the Greater Hernando Chamber of Commerce. Uppermost are restaurants, which usually put on extra staff to cook and serve the influx of more than 4,000 visitors.

Businesses that have the facilities to service big vehicles and those that sell fuel also expect an increase in traffic, she said.

While the rally agenda keeps the registrants close to their homes away from home for most of the five-day program, “on Thursday and Friday, the people get out in the community,” Crowley said. “They have such an impact on our economy.”

She said local businesses are “very receptive of them coming into our community.”

Chamber members contribute items to welcome bags given to all rally registrants. Included are discount coupons, menus, tourist information and inexpensive paraphernalia emblazoned with business names.

For years we RVed with our friends Lenore and Bill Wilson (also a retired fireman). The following is what happened to them on the way home from camping out at Grant Lake many years ago. Many of you RVes have camped in the High Sierra, so you may have similar experiences to remember.

The Wilsons left their camping spot at Grant Lake after “sitting” through many rainy days. When they were about nine miles north of Bishop on Hwy. 395, they came upon a huge traffic jam of RVs, cars and big trucks. They wondered what in the world was going on. No one was allowed to go any further. The were told that the dam at North Lake had just burst. Wow! They decided to turn back and spend the night at Paradise Campground.

Next morning, they left for home. The wind was blowing hard and it was raining. When they passed through Bishop, all seemed serene. They felt reassured until about 10 miles down Highway 395, four miles from Big Pine, one of the hardest hit communities and one of the smallest. Several streams and creeks had overflowed, causing chaos in the town. RVs and trucks were backed up in double lines. A few were led through the small village by a pilot guide.

Pulling a 21-foot Ideal trailer with a GMC truck was no easy task, but Bill was an A-1 driver and they got through the many challenges ahead of them. At Big Pine, mud and boulders were everywhere, according to Lenore — against houses, in the school yard, in the fields — and all along the way folks were busy digging out or trying to, and no one could stop to help out.

Leaving the small town was worse. There were 10 inches of water to get through. Caltrans did a super job of leading everyone. It seemed there was almost as much traffic going north on the 395 as going south. The Wilsons did not think that Independence or Lone Pine were hit too hard during the storms.

When they passed by Coso Rest Area, (many other Rvers have stopped there overnight) they noticed it was jammed full but didn’t care because they wanted to get home to their cozy nest in the west in Pasadena.

Another thing, Grant Lake was so full, the water finally flooded the storage basement below the Grant Lake Café. What a mess it must have been for the new owners at that time.

At 29, he has sold his basement flat in South Kensington and taken up the life on the open road with his girlfriend, Lizzie Bury, and a frisky spaniel called Farley. Theirs is very much a motor “home” rather than a camper van. They are not on holiday. This 12-ton six-wheeler is where they live, work and sleep. “When we get bored, we just move on. It’s cool,” says Lizzie, a former librarian at Cambridge University. Or, as Ben puts it: “You can take civilisation with you into the middle of nowhere. People don’t realise that you can have this mobile alternative to house and office built to a standard where very few compromises have to be made in terms of comfort.”

It helps when you have the most technologically advanced vehicle of its kind in Wales, the United Kingdom and, almost certainly, Europe. Apart from life’s little home comforts - power shower; ceramic flush loo; adjustable, halogen spot-lighting, and a laundry room with built-in washing machine and drying cabinet - there are all sorts of refinements available through a touch-activated screen. Electric blinds, for instance, and a home-cinema with Dolby Surround Sound.

Another touch of the master controls will extend the width of the floor and move the black leather sofa further away. A climate-control system ensures warmth in winter, air-conditioning in summer. And, at any time of year or day, a satellite will rise through the roof to keep this enterprising young couple in touch with the wider world through broadband internet.

When I catch up with them, Ben and Lizzie are parked near where their home was ingeniously assembled, on the Snowdonia Business Park. “Some customers come to us with vague ideas and leave everything to our design team,” says MCL Motorhomes’ general manager, Tym Williams. “Ben was an exception. He was very involved.” So much so that he has added MCL to the portfolio of businesses that he represents as an internet retail agent. As a result, he acquired his mobile home for £250,000 rather than the full price, which would have been nearer to £280,000. Even so, he is well aware of the financial risk of stepping off the property ladder. Bricks and mortar rise in value; metal and rubber decline.

The basement flat in South Kensington sold for £410,000 two years ago. And, although the London property market has slowed down since then, it’s likely to be worth more today. Does that bother the boss of Tristem Enterprises?

“No,” he says, firmly. “This van is warmer in winter, cooler in summer, and the bed’s more comfortable than the one in the flat. Anyway, I reckon we can fill the financial gap by increasing business.”

Although much of that business is done online, he believes that his mobility gives him the edge for travelling and meeting new customers face to face. Ultimately, however, he wants to travel further. Much further. Never mind Wales and the Shetland Islands, two of his favourite parts of Britain. Never mind London, where the majority of the couple’s friends live - “you can park for free on the Embankment on a Sunday”, he says - or Nottingham, where his secretary is based. He wants to be able to go to Strasbourg or Brussels should the European Space Agency (ESA) give him the call. And maybe on to Moscow or even Houston, should he be required to go as part of an astronaut’s training.

‘No pun intended, but they shuttle you everywhere if you get selected,” he says. His performance on Superhuman, initiated by the European Space Agency, will have done him no harm. “I missed out on first place by one point,” he muses. What’s more, he feels, his lifestyle is useful preparation for existence in a confined space. “It’s not too dissimilar to a space capsule in here,” he says, stretching his arms across the 2.5 metres between the cinema screen and the maple fitments behind the sofa.
Ben Tristem
Power shower, climate control and home cinema are some of the push-button on-board luxuries

There is also something rather extraterrestrial about the motorhome’s appearance when it parks up. At one touch of the interactive screen, hydraulic jacks shoot out from each corner of the vehicle and lock into position to provide stability on the most uneven terrain. Another touch brings two saucers rising from the roof - one for internet access, the other for TV reception.

Finally, out come the automatic steps. Not exactly giant steps for mankind, but high enough to allow Ben, Lizzie or Farley to set foot on the spot where they will spend the night. Understandably, they prefer small farm sites to large caravan parks. “One magical morning we woke up in Shetland to find llamas licking our paintwork,” Ben recalls.

For all the romance of life on the road, however, he remains firmly focused on his ultimate ambition. “This planet won’t support us forever,” he maintains. “If our species is to survive, we’re going to have to look elsewhere, and I want to be part of that quest.”

In what capacity? “Well, a typical space capsule is manned by five scientists and one pilot,” he explains. “And you’d have to be the best test pilot in the RAF before they’d even consider you.” Ben was simply the best pilot in the officer cadets during his time at Imperial College, London.

“I spent so much time flying that I didn’t get as good a degree as I expected,” he reflects. “But I’ve since done physics at the Open University and I’m on course for a first. Two years from now I hope to have a PhD, and the timing could be right for me. By then the ESA should be on course for its next big project - Mars.”

Which puts Wales and the Shetland Isles into perspective. For the man in the most technologically advanced motorhome in Europe, it would seem, the solar system is his oyster.