Legislative Property Tax relief plan is an insult.

Season's Greeting Friends and Neighbors,

Utah State legislators said on Tuesday, 19 Dec., that they favor a 15 Million dollar property tax relief package. WOW! That's about $6.00 or $7.00 off our property tax bills!

No property tax reform measures are being proposed or discussed. All proposals on the table so far, are either stupid Band Aids or pandering to seniors. None address the "disease" which is clearly "fair market valuations" in assessments.

Transparency in Government is a good bill. Also the one which removes school districts from property taxes in exchange for what turns out to be a 1.81% increase in sales tax. It will lower the actual property tax bill, if passed, yet hold public education harmless by doling out more and more to school districts with no accountability. However; it does nothing to solve the root cause of the "disease" (how all our property taxes are calculated), nor does it roll-back our property assessments.

The Utah Realtor Association has done "their thing" on all efforts to reform property tax valuations and the laws which require them. And they have done it for at least the past seven years. So I have decided to let you all in on their dirty little secrets. You will be told how they interfere with legislation, the techniques they use, and the power their leadership virtually brags about. And you will hear it from "them" in their leadership's own words.

You will be exposed to their propaganda and standard talking points, their line of BS in other words, and you will come away like many are already saying..."We have too many Realtors and developers and school district people in the legislature." And it will be up to you and me to get them out of office at every level of government. To remove both them and their legislative/legal influences on our lives once and for all.

It is a long story, so I will endeavor to dole it out in small enough doses so that you can digest it as a series.

The first of the series will begin after the new year, when any hangovers are cured and things are back to "normal". If you can call scurrying around in search of receipts and tax information "normal". So be patient and wait for it. You will be amazed by the whole sad situation, but there is hope and a happy ending on the horizon once you know the facts about how they operate on a local, state and national level.

Merry Christmas,

D-Bell