Promoting a well-informed public dialogue on tax and public expenditure issues.
A letter from the Founder of Equality State Taxpayers Association
July 12, 2023
Joan Barron, writer of the recent opinion piece “Protesters need to cool off and get educated,” needs to
wise up and get her facts straight. No change to the Constitution is necessary to define “fair market
value”; the Wyoming Legislature already has this authority. All we need are the right legislators to vote
for acquisition value to stop the arbitrary and unfair tax increases on residential and commercial
property in Wyoming.
In the 34 years since 1988, the voter/taxpayers in Wyoming have now become aware of the fraudulent
system employed by the Wyoming Department of Revenue to reappraise their residential and
commercial properties each year as if they had sold them, when they had not. When there is an actual
sale of the property the Department of Revenue refuses to allow this to be used for appraisal, the result
is a tax on an unrealized capital gain on your property. Taxes on unrealized capital gains are prohibited
by the 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
In 1988, the Department of Revenue wrote and promulgated rules that created a tax on unrealized
capital gains. This was never disclosed, for obvious reasons so that your property taxes could be
arbitrarily raised anytime the spenders wanted more of your money to advance their agenda. While
state officials continue to call it “fair market value”, government agencies have a vested interest in
protecting their power. No government agency is going to admit that their rules or procedures are
unfair or unconstitutional. The way to stop this is clearly at the ballot box.
William Doenz
Sheridan, WY
www.equalitystatetaxpayers.org
