<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:24pt"><br><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 24pt;"><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><font style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" size="6">A RESPONSE TO “IT’S A GAME”</font><br></div><br><span style="font-weight: bold;">ALERT:</span> #178<br><span style="font-weight: bold;">DATE:</span> August 2, 2008<br><span style="font-weight: bold;">TO:</span> Incline Village & Crystal Bay Property Owners<br><span style="font-weight: bold;">FROM:</span> Village League Tax Revolt Committee<br><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dear Incline Village & Crystal Bay Property
Tax Protesters,</span><br><br>The Bonanza as usual did a great job writing about our property tax revolt issues last Sunday. In the middle of the article about our incredible second Nevada Supreme Court victory, the Washoe County District
Attorney, Dick Gammick, is quoted, <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">“ … it just all seems to be a big game.”</span><br><br>My blood came to an instant boil as it did for all the Village League Board members, who have worked thousands of hours fighting against unconstitutional property taxation. Fellow board member, Chuck Otto, wrote an excellent response in Friday’s Bonanza newspaper to the Gammick comment. See below for the Letter to the Editor.<br><font style="font-weight: bold;" size="5"><br></font><div style="text-align: center;"><font style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" size="5">THANK YOU TO INGEMANSON</font><br></div><br>A second letter to the editor in Friday’s Bonanza was a thank you to Maryanne Ingemanson for her efforts in fighting for fair and equitable property taxes on behalf of everyone in the Incline Village/Crystal Bay area. I have included it, following the letter by Chuck
Otto, in this Alert.<br><font style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" size="5"><br style="font-weight: bold;"></font><div style="text-align: center;"><font style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" size="5"><span style="font-weight: bold;">ARCHIVE OF ALERTS AND NEWS ARTICLES</span></font><br></div><br>For the benefit of people who have recently joined our property tax revolt efforts and others who are researching what we have done in the last six years, I have archived every Alert that has been sent to our group email list. Note that the first Alert was emailed on December 23, 2002!!<br><br>Since 2002, I have also archived hundreds of newspaper articles covering the Village League’s battle to win fair and equal taxation. <br><br>Both of these archives can be accessed on our tax revolt website, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.NevadaPropertyTaxRevolt.org">www.NevadaPropertyTaxRevolt.org</a>.<br><br>Enjoy reading!<br><br>Best Regards,<br><span style="font-weight:
bold;">Wayne Fischer,</span> Webmaster<br>Nevada Property Tax Revolt Web<br>www.NevadaPropertyTaxRevolt.org<br><br><div style="text-align: center;">----------------------------------<br></div><font size="4"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">North Lake Tahoe Bonanza - Letters to the Editor</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"></font><font style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;" size="2">August 1, 2006, page 6A</font><font size="4"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"></font><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="4"><font style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" size="6"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">Gammick’s ‘Game-ick’</span></font></font><br
style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"></div><font size="4"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">I was delighted to read of the Nevada Supreme Court’s ruling in last Sunday’s Bonanza that concluded that the Washoe County Assessor’s methods of assessment were illegal and unconstitutional.</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">However, I was appalled at Washoe County District Attorney Dick Gammick's comments that the whole situation was a “game.”</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">The Village League to Save Incline Assets, through donations from Incline Village/Crystal Bay taxpayers,
has spent close to a million dollars in legal fees to play in his so-called “game.” Some would choose not to call this a
“game,” but rather a “circus,” a “fraud” or a “farce.”</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">Mr. Gammick and his office along with the defendants in this case (the assessor’s office, Washoe County, the Nevada Department of Taxation and the Nevada Tax Commission) have done everything in their power to attempt to frustrate our efforts, prolong the process, dodge the inevitable bullet and cover their tails.</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">How many times does the Supreme Court have to tell these bureaucrats and legal beagles that the assessment methods used up here are illegal and unconstitutional leading to unfair and
unequal treatment?</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">There are two more cases pending for different tax years. Since these suits are similar to the two cases already decided, the outcome seems predictable. But, do you think the county is ready to yield and settle these matters?</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">No, my guess is they will find other ways to bob-and-weave, appeal on baseless grounds, and try to prolong the agony.</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">The next
cases involve all taxpayers in Incline and Crystal Bay!</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">And, to think that we, the taxpayers, fund the salaries of these folks, galls me to no end.</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">We pay them to fight us and we have to raise funds to fight them! Incredible!</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">It is apparent from the article that Mr. Gammick has a new Gimmick (Gammick’s Gimmick Game!). He’s pointing the finger at the state for failure to provide proper direction to the county.</span><br
style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">He’s playing the game of “Blame the State.” Knowing that the county is losing, he’s hoping to get the state to foot the bill and refund the monies illegally gained by the county (plus interest).</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">This would set up another legal contest between the county and state, use our taxpayer dollars to fund the fight, and keep the game going.</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">Gammick says that “if the court comes back
three, four, five years later and rules on tax assessments, to litigate them, we have to follow the order.”</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">Well, sir, how do you think we taxpayers feel being jerked around for three, four or five years — we have had to deal with the county’s gerrymandering the county Board of Equalization for the purpose of thwarting our appeals, a State Board of Equalization that is arrogant, condescending and has no clue what “equalization” means, and an Assessor’s Office which has a culture of arrogance and maintains a posture of “we know better than anyone else so we’ll do it our way.” Blame the state? Partially! Blame yourselves? Absolutely!</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new
york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">The county got the illegally gained money. I say return it to all of the property owners with interest.</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">That goes for the two cases already decided plus those pending — same issues, same consequence.</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">It’s time to face reality — the game is over.</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">The players on our side are energized,
confident and have a firm legal basis. It’s time for your side to throw in the towel! Point, set, match!</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"></font><div style="text-align: right;"><font style="font-weight: bold;" size="4"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">Chuck Otto</span></font><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><font size="4"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">Incline Village </span></font><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"></div><font size="4"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"></font><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="6"><font style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new
york,times,serif;">Thank you to Ingemanson</span></font></font><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"></div><font size="4"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">Your tireless efforts have finally paid off! You deserve more accolades than one person can give. I hope that you hear from each and every person who believed in the fight that you have marshaled.</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">You are an inspiration to those of us who believe that government must be constrained and limited. Thank you for all that you have done and I truly hope that you celebrate the Nevada Supreme Court decision with gusto! Cheers!</span><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new
york,times,serif;"></font><div style="text-align: right;"><font style="font-weight: bold;" size="4"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">Al and Carla Priester</span></font><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><font size="4"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">Incline Village</span></font><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="4"><span style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"># # #<br><br><br><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"></span></font></div><br style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"></div><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>