"This is the fourth shade of lipstick on the same pig," Simpson said. "I'm not sure why they have to hide to push their agenda, but the bankers have created, since 1999, four fake organizations to push their policy initiatives forward."

Simpson said those groups all have followed the same playbook. He said organizers claimed to be a "grassroots think tank, dedicated to creating sound tax policy" and were less than forthright about their specific focus on credit unions. In 1999, it was the Utahns for Fair Taxation, Simpson said, followed by the Resolution Alliance for Strong Banks and Credit Unions, the Tax Policy Clearinghouse and now the Council for Sound Tax Policy.

"I'm flabbergasted that they would go down this path again," he said. "It seems to me to be a way to equip (Zions Bank president and chief executive) Harris Simmons with a tool to ascend the ranks of the American Bankers Association."

Zions spokesman Rob Brough disagreed, calling Simpson's statement "a little laughable."

"Harris is the chairman-elect of the ABA, so to insinuate that this is somehow an attempt to climb the ranks . . . he's already there."

Zions readily admits to contributing money to the group, Brough said, because it concurs with the council's mission statement.

"What I know about the council is that this is not about banks and credit unions," Brough said. "Their issue is with whether or not a tax exemption for big credit unions is good tax policy. It's not about what's good for banks or market share or anything like that. We support what they're doing on this subject. But it's not our group. It's not about banks and credit unions. It's not Harris Simmons' group. It's about tax policy."

Simpson maintained that the council's efforts will "put the Legislature in a box again" and incite another nasty row on the Hill.

"They're going to force us to defend ourselves and our rights as members of financial cooperatives, again, all for a nonbinding resolution — for nothing," he said. "Congress is not going to pay attention to this."

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E-mail: jnii@desnews.com