<HTML><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff" STYLE="font:10pt verdana; border:none;background-color:#ffffff; "><DIV>Hmm. This statute doesn't seem to be written in Latin or Greek or Tocharian B. It seems to be written in English, which just happens to be my native language. Now, admittedly, I did not learn English from a lawyer, but I somehow feel that I really, truly understand what this statute is saying. Taxpayers (that's you and me) may file an appeal of an assessment (that's a particular tax valuation on a particular property) with the Board of Equalization within a specific set of defined parameters, i.e., there are date constraints and certain forms to fill out. Call me naive, but I don't think you need to be Alan Dershowitz to comprehend that.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'm bearing in mind, of course, that we're not talking about interpretation here. That does require a lawyer, or, in some cases, many lawyers and perhaps a judicial proceeding or two. Sometimes, a law is so unclear that its meaning must be contested all the way to the Supreme Court, where legal geniuses like Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia work their voodoo on the official interpretation. (The next time you're home alone late at night and you hear a strange thumping sound down in the basement, just keep repeating to yourself, "That's not Antonin Scalia coming to destroy my civil rights It's only a crazed lunatic with a hatchet." There now, doesn't that feel better?)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>About yesterday's Board of Equalization meeting -- I think it's a shame that anyone would take time out of his or her busy day to attend the hearing only to be insulted by the county attorney. The "I could read it but you wouldn't understand it" remark was out of line, and so an apology from Mr. Whitney would be in order. I agree with Mark Solomon that Rose and Saundra might do well to consult an attorney of their own, but with or without legal counsel, the issues they bring forward as citizens and taxpayers should be treated with the utmost seriousness and respect. While I am confident that the members of the BOE will do just that, yesterday's proceedings make me worry about the tenor of their legal advice. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message -----</DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt Arial; COLOR: black"><B>From:</B> DonaldH675@aol.com</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, July 07, 2004 12:04 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>To:</B> vision2020@moscow.com</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] Tax Code we probably can't understand</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2737.800" name=GENERATOR> <DIV align=left>Visionaries:</DIV> <DIV align=left>The code below is the one cited that the questioner could read but probably wouldn't understand. For those of you who are having a really slow evening, an amble through Idaho Code 63-501 <A href="http://www3.stateid.us/idstat/TOC/63005KTOC.html">http://www3.state.id.us/idstat/TOC/63005KTOC.html</A> is arguably, worth the trip.</DIV> <DIV align=left>Rose</DIV> <DIV align=left> </DIV> <DIV align=left> </DIV> <DIV align=left> TITLE 63<BR> REVENUE AND TAXATION<BR> CHAPTER 5<BR> EQUALIZATION OF ASSESSMENTS<BR> 63-501A. TAXPAYER'S RIGHT TO APPEAL. (1) Taxpayers may file an appeal of<BR>an assessment with the county board of equalization. An appeal shall be made<BR>in writing on a form provided by the county board of equalization or assessor<BR>and must identify the taxpayer, the property which is the subject of the<BR>appeal and the reason for the appeal. An appeal of an assessment listed on the<BR>property roll must be filed on or before the end of the county's normal<BR>business hours on the fourth Monday of June. An appeal of an assessment listed<BR>on the subsequent property roll must be filed on or before the end of the<BR>county's normal business hours on the fourth Monday of November. An appeal of<BR>an assessment listed on the missed property roll must be filed on or before<BR>the board of equalization adjourns on the day of its January meeting. The<BR>board of equalization may consider an appeal only if it is timely filed.<BR> (2) Appeals from the county board of equalization shall be made pursuant<BR>to section 63-511, Idaho Code.<BR><A href="http://www3.state.id.us/cgi-bin/newidst?sctid=630050001A.K">http://www3.state.id.us/cgi-bin/newidst?sctid=630050001A.K</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Verdana size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR> <P align=right>"One cannot level one's moral lance at every evil in the universe. There are <BR>just too many of them. But you can do something, and the difference between doing something and doing nothing is everything." <BR> <P align=left>- Daniel Berrigan </FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR></P> <P></P></FONT></DIV>_____________________________________________________<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR> http://www.fsr.net <BR> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>/////////////////////////////////////////////////////<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML><br clear=all><hr>Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : <a href='http://explorer.msn.com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>