If politicians would stop lying and cheating us, our respect for them might improve. The latest in question is the Durango City Council’s desire to impose real estate transaction fees. When is a fee not a tax? When it is convenient to the politicians to avoid the law?
A fee is defined as “a payment made to a professional or public body in exchange for advice or service.” What advice or service is the government providing with their real estate fee? We already pay recording, documentation and transaction fees on real estate.
No. What the council is proposing is a tax, a compulsory contribution to government revenue. But the council cannot call it a tax because that would invoke the provisions of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) and require approval by us citizens.
Government today reminds me of George Orwell’s famous satire “Animal Farm,” in which he writes that all animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others. These are the pigs in Orwell’s book. Let’s bring honesty, truth and common sense back to our government. If the current council lacks these traits, then vote them out.
Bo Pruski
Durango
