Additional Fees on Your Utility Bill Rob You Blind
The problem with this practice is that it undermines the important difference between a fee and a tax. Fees are payments in exchange for a quantitative public service while taxes cover the remaining immeasurable services that...
Unfair Competition: Government in the Marketplace
What happens when the government competes with the free market to provide non essential services? The practice is all too common and it sabotages both the government and the people.
Stopping Misdemeanors for Local Code Violations
The Utah legislature unanimously passed house bill 202 to stop local government's from over criminalizing ordinances.
HB 131: Letting Local Government Enact Rent Control
This bill would allow local governments to create "rent control" laws that arbitrarily impose price restrictions on the cost of renting property.
Local governments should rethink criminal ordinances
Local governments across Utah often rely on a Class B misdemeanor for nuisance penaltys—even when no actual harm is done.
Are City Permits Up to Code?
Permits were intended to be straightforward and a means to protect the safety and rights of others. But over time they have been used to restrict opportunity and freedom.
Get The Government Off My Lawn
In many Utah cities, an unkempt lawn is a criminal offense—should it be?
SB 56: Transparency in Local Economic Development
This bill requires cities counties to produce a transparency website showing tax exemptions they provide to favored businesses.
Local Utah government should respect property rights
Utahns aren't able to fully utilize there property due to local government regulations—SB 107 seeks to change that.
SB 107: Keeping the Peace Without Restricting Rights
This bill restricts government from charging individuals for onerous property violations that don't actually bother neighbors.