10-11-2012, 10:09 AM
I think you're basically stuck with the problem that the hobby costs what it costs. We all pay taxes. California sales tax adds almost 10% to anything we buy in the state, and if you calculate your annual hobby budget, you've got to recognize that sales tax alone is 10% of it. Tax avoidance is legal; tax evasion isn't. You can legally avoid sales tax by ordering off the web out of state, though they're trying to end that. But I wouldn't recommend falsifying the value of anything or misrepresenting what it is.