Category Archives: Did you know?

Apr 01

Democrats roll out tax and TABOR reform plan

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Democrats roll out tax and TABOR reform plan to remake state finances, calling for “a reckoning”
Colorado lawmakers float legal challenge that, if successful, could kill TABOR outright

A group of Colorado lawmakers has unveiled a plan to fundamentally change state tax policy and attempt to eliminate the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR.

The plan, announced Monday afternoon by Democratic legislators, includes reclassifying chunks of Colorado highway funding so it doesn’t fall under the TABOR spending cap, which would free up money for other things. They also hope to end Colorado’s flat income tax and replace it with a system in which higher-income taxpayers pay higher rates than low-income filers.

Lawmakers also introduced a resolution Monday that seeks to launch a lawsuit challenging the legality of TABOR, which was passed by Colorado voters in 1992, under the U.S. Constitution.

“The state is coming to a reckoning on whether we can sustain ourselves,” said Sean Camacho, a Denver Democrat. “And all of these measures are critical to figuring that out.”

The lawsuit resolution has attracted a roster of co-sponsors, including some top legislative leaders. The proposals come as Colorado faces a budget hole of more than $1 billion because of the cap set by TABOR.

TABOR limits how much state spending can grow based on inflation and population growth. Certain sectors of government spending, chiefly mandatory Medicaid costs, have far outstripped the pace of consumer inflation, effectively eating into how much the state can spend on nonmandatory programs.

To read the rest of this article, click (HERE) to go to the Denver Post.

Mar 30

OPINION: ‘Fiscal tailgating’ caused Colorado’s budget woes

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OPINION: ‘Fiscal tailgating’ caused Colorado’s budget woes

  • By Mark Hillman
  • Mar 27, 2025 Updated Mar 28, 2025

The gold dome of the state Capitol is seen in Denver.
The Associated Press File

Headlines from the state Capitol might cause a reader to believe Colorado is in a deep recession. Legislators say they must cut more than $1 billion in spending to balance the 2025-26 budget.

Still, state government has $687 million more to spend than last year in a $19 billion budget. So why all the histrionics about a budget “crisis”?

Because Colorado lawmakers practice fiscal tailgating.

Tailgating on the highway is dangerous because when drivers travel too fast and follow too close to the car ahead, the tailgating driver doesn’t have time to react if the lead driver unexpectedly brakes or swerves.

Fiscal tailgating is much the same. Lawmakers spend money as fast as it comes in, then when the economy slows, they face much harder choices than if they had tapped the brakes when awash in money.

After COVID, Congress inflated the money supply and passed out trillions to states. Colorado raked in billions, which lawmakers knew would someday run out.

Not long ago, veteran members of the Joint Budget Committee, regardless of party, would stand firmly against spending one-time funds for ongoing programs because they knew they’d ultimately be forced to cut the new program or cut something else.

Ending a program people have come to rely on is never popular.

But for the past few years, the Democrat-controlled legislature has done the opposite. As one local news organization reported, “The budget has actually been out of balance for years.

To continue reading the rest of the story, please click (HERE).

 

Mar 30

Colorado Legislative binge ongoing despite billion-dollar budget gap

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Colorado Legislative binge ongoing despite billion-dollar budget gap

Despite Colorado’s $1.2 billion budget deficit, increasing regulatory woes, and a souring economic outlook, the state legislature continues to proliferate new legislation that promises to increase government size and spending.

The 120-day 2025 legislative session is beyond the halfway point, and Colorado’s 35 senators and 65 representatives have introduced over 500 bills so far, with several containing significant fiscal impacts.

Using data from the Legislative Council Staff’s Fiscal Note Reports, I consolidated bills into interactive charts to display the proposed legislation’s impact on government employment, the General Fund, and the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) in FY2025-26. .

Growing government 

According to the data, all proposed legislation thus far in 2025 would add over 300 full-time equivalent (FTE) hires to the state’s payroll, reduce General Fund revenue by over $900 million, and reduce funds subject to TABOR by over $1.3 billion.

Of course, legislators will not pass all these bills, and some bills with significant fiscal impacts have already been rejected.

As previously reported in Complete Colorado, the lack of political competition in Colorado’s legislature has ushered in an unprecedented era of ballooning government expansion, and that extraordinary growth is now coming home to roost.

But this year’s budget shortfall did not appear out of thin air.

As I previously explained, Colorado’s billion-plus dollar budget hole was caused by government overspending and the shirking of fiscal responsibility and accountability.

In short, the government spent one-time federal money for COVID relief on ongoing programs, inflation continues to cool (slowing government growth as allowed by the state constitution), the cost of Medicaid continues to increase, and the legislature continues to expand special interest tax breaks.

This is while resisting transparency and accountability and instead deflecting blame onto TABOR, which progressives blame for holding back the state’s ability to offer essential services.

In reality, TABOR just reasonably limits the growth of government, forcing the state to be more efficient, effective, and responsible when spending Coloradans’ money.

Click (HERE) to read the rest of this article at Complete Colorado!

 

 

 

Mar 29

Ballooning Medicaid costs, TABOR limits expose flaws in Colorado’s big government spending spree

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Ballooning Medicaid costs, TABOR limits expose flaws in Colorado’s big government spending spree

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board / March 28, 2025 /

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board

After years of overreach and unchecked government growth, Colorado lawmakers are now scrambling to plug a $1.2 billion hole in the state budget — a crisis largely of their own making.

Colorado budget writers voted Wednesday night to finalize a 2025–26 budget plan that slashes transportation funding, eliminates programs, and kicks key decisions down the road — all while Medicaid spending surges out of control.

Despite the so-called “cuts,” the budget still grows to over $16 billion. But massive increases in Medicaid — particularly long-term care for seniors and the disabled — are eating up the budget at an unsustainable pace. Democrat lawmakers admit the problem is only getting worse. “Next year, I see our fiscal challenges compounding,” said Rep. Shannon Bird, vice chair of the Joint Budget Committee (JBC), during a hearing.

Conservatives argue this crisis is a direct result of failed progressive governance: endless new programs, expensive mandates, and refusal to address structural overspending.

TABOR Targeted Again

Once again, the state’s taxpayer protections — the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) — are being blamed by Democrats for the budget woes. TABOR limits government growth to population plus inflation, requiring refunds to citizens when revenue exceeds the cap.

Instead of thanking taxpayers for Colorado’s booming economy, JBC Chair Sen. Jeff Bridges (D-Greenwood Village) criticized TABOR: “When the economy is booming and the state is tightening its belt, that just doesn’t make sense,” he told The Colorado Sun. “It’s like, ‘why are you making these cuts?’ And the answer is TABOR.”

But to fiscal conservatives, it makes perfect sense. TABOR keeps the government from ballooning during economic highs and forces legislators to prioritize. That’s not dysfunction — it’s accountability.

Click (HERE) to read the rest of this editorial.

Mar 29

How to Get Your 2024 TABOR Refund in Colorado

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How to Get Your 2024 TABOR Refund in Colorado

Thanks to Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), residents will receive a refund when filing their 2024 state income taxes in 2025.

? How to Get It:

  • File your Colorado state income tax return (Form DR0104) by the deadline.
  • No extra forms are needed — TABOR refund is on line 35 of Form DR 0104.

? How Much Will You Get? Refund amounts are based on your income and filing status. Here’s what to expect:

Single Filers:

  • Up to $53K: $177
  • $53K–$105K: $240
  • $105K–$166K: $277
  • $166K–$233K: $323
  • $233K–$302K: $350
  • Over $302K: $565

Joint Filers:

  • Up to $53K: $354
  • $53K–$105K: $480
  • $105K–$166K: $554
  • $166K–$233K: $646
  • $233K–$302K: $700
  • Over $302K: $1,130

? Bonus: Lower Income Tax Rate The state income tax rate dropped from 4.40% to 4.25% for 2024 — another TABOR win for taxpayers!

Mar 28

Colorado’s Budget Gap Myth!

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Colorado’s Budget Gap Myth!
How Anti-TABOR Legislators are Laying the Groundwork to Raise Your Taxes & How you can Fight Back!
You’ve probably seen the headlines… “Lawmakers stare down long-term cuts as Colorado runs into TABOR’s hard spending cap,” and “Food banks, kids’ therapy and diapers: What Colorado lawmakers have cut from the state budget so far,” are just two recent examples.
It’s becoming more obvious that the “budget gap” is going to be used as an excuse to attack the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), and raise our taxes!
Thankfully, we have Natalie Menten, a Liberty Leader and Taxpayer Advocate who is standing up for TABOR.
In this video, Natalie and Brandon talk about the reality of Colorado’s budget and explain how TABOR has helped Coloradans keep more money in their wallets.

New video: youtu.be/Y3bEZnq7new

Mar 25

This is what’s happening at the Colorado State Capitol and broadcast media….

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This is what’s happening at the Colorado State Capitol and broadcast media….
#DontBeFooled
#ItsYourMoneyNotTheirs
#VoteOnTaxesAndFees
#FeesAreTaxes
#TABOR
#FollowTheMoney
#FollowTheLaw
#ThankGodForTABOR

Mar 23

Rep. Gonzalez: Colorado doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem

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By Rep. Ryan Gonzalez / March 21, 2025 / | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

In the state of Colorado, we are facing over a $1.2 BILLION dollar shortfall. As we are now halfway through the 2025 legislative session, we have seen little progress from the lawmaking majority on making hard and significant cuts to our budget.

Rather than admit the improper allocation of taxpayer dollars, the majority uses this predicament to go after and attack our Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).

Our state budget this year is over 43 BILLION. In the last 6 years they have gone from a budget surplus to a very progressive spending spree at the expense of taxpayers.

More offices, tax credits, and programs that require funding and eat away at TABOR refunds have been – and continue to be –  the norm for the majority rule in Colorado.

Much of this is due, in part, to the COVID ripple effect that we are seeing now, just years in the making. As a first term legislator, I can see – firsthand – many problems in how things are being managed and run under the Gold Dome.

We do not, and I cannot stress this enough, we do not have a revenue problem.

We have a spending problem, a big one.

To continue reading this story, please click (HERE) to go to the Rocky Mountain Voice: