Category Archives: Ballot Initiative

Feb 06

Special Districts and the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights

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There are over 4,500 local government agencies in Colorado. Nearly 3,000 of those are special districts. All of these agencies and special districts are included under our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR).

Most voters wouldn’t be able to list off the top of their head all the local governments collecting property taxes from them directly or passed on to them as a percentage of rent by the property owner in the course of business. You might have a couple or several of these governments charging you property taxes — lots of layers.

You can check your special districts using this Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) GIS map. It’s a great tool offering filters and layers so you get all the information. Click on the district map and you’ll get the annual levy rate and contact information for the district.

Why should we care?

Property Taxes

Special districts, especially metropolitan districts, can amount to a sizable portion of your property tax bill. Just because you don’t directly write the check for the property taxes doesn’t mean you’re not paying part or all of the property tax bill. Tenants and consumers pay a portion of the property taxes in rent or included in the cost of the products they buy. Continue reading →

Jan 14

Murrey: Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights refunds in Democrats’ crosshairs

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Last year, Colorado Democrats championed TABOR refunds as they campaigned for reelection. Yet not a week into the 2023 legislative session, they announced plans to try and halt those refunds indefinitely.

A forthcoming bill by Rep. Cathy Kipp (D) and Sen. Rachel Zenzinger (D), if passed by the legislature and approved by voters, would allow the state to retain future tax refund dollars mandated under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) in Colorado’s Constitution. Kipp says the money would go to fund public schools.

Proponents of this idea have failed in the past to gather the 120,000 signatures required to put the question on the November ballot. The legislature can circumvent this requirement by passing the measure as a bill first.

Every time voters speak on key issues related to TABOR, they send the same unambiguous message: “Leave TABOR alone and let us keep our money!”

Democratic legislators either didn’t get the message, or they just don’t care what voters think.

In 2019 after voters gave Democrats unified control over state government, legislators thanked them by sending Proposition CC–which would have permanently ended TABOR refunds–to the November ballot, where Coloradans soundly rejected it.

Coloradans spoke loud and clear: “Leave TABOR alone and let us keep our money!”

In 2020, voters had the choice between two competing citizen-led ballot initiatives. One would have raised taxes and repealed TABOR’s requirement that Colorado maintains the same income tax rate for all taxpayers. The other, put on the ballot by my organization, Independence Institute, reduced the state’s income tax rate from 4.63 to 4.55 percent. The latter passed with a wide margin. The former failed even to gather enough signatures to appear on the ballot.

Once again, Coloradans spoke loud and clear: “Leave TABOR alone and let us keep our money!”

Fast forward to 2022. If the people of Colorado had not made their will clear enough already, last year left no ambiguity.

To continue reading this story, please click (HERE):

Nov 08

Report touts Colorado’s TABOR as ‘gold standard’ for state tax policy

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Report touts Colorado’s TABOR as ‘gold standard’ for state tax policy

Paul Brady Photography | Shutterstock

(The Center Square) – Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights is the “gold standard” for state tax policy, a new report argues.

The report, by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a free-market group that’s known for drafting model legislation adopted in Republican-led states, comes amid the 30th anniversary of TABOR, the constitutional amendment that Colorado voters passed in 1992.

TABOR requires voter approval for tax increases and limits state revenue growth to inflation plus the rate of population growth. It also requires revenue surpluses to be refunded back to taxpayers.

“TABOR is a resounding success for Colorado, despite ongoing attempts to eliminate it,” said Dr. Barry Poulson, author of the report and a professor emeritus at the University of Colorado Boulder. “TABOR uses a straightforward formula for limiting the size and scope of government by capping the rate of growth in state revenue and spending to inflation plus the rate of population growth.”

TABOR contrasts with California’s Gann Amendment, which the report says was “watered down” by special interests. Continue reading →

Oct 14

Even key Dems dis Prop. 123; vote NO

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#DontBeFooled
#ItsYourMoneyNotTheirs
#VoteOnTaxesAndFees
#FeesAreTaxes
#TABOR
#ThankGodForTABOR
#FollowTheMoney
#FollowTheLaw

Even key Dems dis Prop. 123; vote NO

  • By Ben Murrey
  • Oct 12, 2022Updated Oct 12, 2022

Ben Murrey

Thanks to the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, commonly known as “TABOR,” Coloradans will receive nearly $4 billion in excess revenue refunded from the state this year. That’s where those $750 checks for individuals and $1,500 for couples came from over the summer. On the ballot this year, Proposition 123 is asking voters to give up their refunds, at least in part.

If adopted by voters, the measure would reduce TABOR refunds by about $86 per person, based on information from the state voter booklet or “Blue Book.”

The measure dedicates up to 0.1% of income tax revenue to affordable housing programs administered by state bureaucracies. For years in which the state has a TABOR surplus, that would reduce TABOR refunds by about $300 million. State economists currently project refunds for at least the next three years.

Even Democrats — who rarely refuse the opportunity to spend more of your money on new government programs — have been skeptical of the measure.

Democratic state Sen. Chris Hansen, of Denver, expressed concern that Proposition 123 could eat directly into the state’s ability to spend on other priorities.

“There’s no free lunch,” Hansen said referencing the measure. “K-12 and higher education (is) where the marginal dollar is in our state budget. So $1 less means $1 less for education.”

The statement proves a bit disingenuous, but the senator is right to say there is no such thing as a free lunch. Continue reading →

Oct 08

Proposition 123: What you need to know about the affordable housing measure on Colorado’s ballot

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Proposition 123: What you need to know about the affordable housing measure on Colorado’s ballot

11 News spoke with supporters and opponents of CO Proposition 123 Thursday about their goals and worries.

By Lauren Watson

Published: Oct. 6, 2022 at 8:36 PM EDT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) -Supporters of Colorado Proposition 123 met in Colorado Springs Thursday morning to discuss their hopes and goals for the ballot item, which will appear statewide on Election Day.

If passed, Proposition 123 would dedicate 0.1% of the state budget to help fund affordable housing programs.

That comes out to almost $300 million, and that money would be going to programs designed to create rental units with a cap of 30% of a renter’s income, provide down payment assistance for qualifying individuals, and give grants to local governments for affordable housing development, among other things. Click here to visit Colorado’s “Blue Book” guide with an in-depth look at Proposition 123 on page 30.

Supporters said the proposition will allow people in lower-paying crucial careers, like education and nursing, to be able to afford to live in the communities they work in. Continue reading →