Jan
10
Category Archives: Editorial
Jan
08
IN RESPONSE | Pols trample on TABOR; let’s demand our petition rights
Douglas Bruce
Re: “Colorado must draw a line between ‘tax’ and ‘fee,’ ” Jan. 6.
As TABOR’s author, I fought many traps our foes set for us. We went down their rabbit trail of theoretical debates … twice.
The 1988 TABOR covered “fees” that yearly increase above inflation. Foes used examples like library card fees increasing 10%, which may be a quarter. “We can’t vote all the time” on trivial sums.
The 1990 fight allowed increases rounded up to the next dollar. Same result. We can’t set a limit — say, $50 million — on a fee increase; they will simply increase 50 fees $40 million each. They will also increase licenses, permits, etc.
In 1992, we switched “fee v. tax ” details for revenue spending limits. The Establishment took OUR bait. The issue was our right to vote at all, and we won. Set the agenda and frame the issue, and you win the debate.
Our foes then violated TABOR for 28 years, by saying road and bridge “fees” are for “enterprises,” though they clearly violate the definition. Ditto hospital provider fees, the Dirty Dozen in 2009, and dozens more.
Jan
06
FEEDBACK | Colorado must draw a line between ‘tax’ and ‘fee’
Ever since TABOR (the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights) was enacted in 1992, our courts and legislature have been ignoring the large animal in the room. Namely, the difference between a “tax” and a “fee.” Some things seem logical. Such as a “drivers’ license fee” versus a “property tax.” This seems logical until someone wants to call the property tax a “homeowner’s fee.” Should that occur, the cost of owning a home could skyrocket completely against the intent of the TABOR law.
Jan
04
I Have Never Understood Why It Is “Greed” To Want To Keep The Money You’ve Earned, But….
Jan
03
Best And Worst Policy Developments Of 2019
Best And Worst Policy Developments Of 2019
Source: AP Photo/Evan Vucci
’m trying to be a glass-half-full kind of guy, so we’ll start with the best policy developments for 2019.
TABOR wins in Colorado – Without question, the best fiscal system for a jurisdiction is a spending cap that fulfills my Golden Rule. Colorado’s constitution has such a policy, known as TABOR (the Taxpayer Bill of Rights). Pro-spending lobbies put an initiative on the ballot to eviscerate the provision, but voters wisely rejected the measure this past November by a nearly 10-point margin.
Jan
02
SLOAN | To tone-deaf tax hikers, ‘no’ translates to try, try again
This year’s defeat of Proposition CC was a bitter experience for the state’s Democrats and liberal groups, but apparently not a didactic one, at least for the latter. Proposals are already in the works for some new iterations of the ubiquitous tax-increase ballot measures which crop up every second election or so, just to see if perseverance will ultimately win out over fiscal literacy.
Most of the proposals are conjured up by groups like the leftist Colorado Fiscal Institute, which houses some presumably very bright people whose economic analysis nevertheless boils down invariably to tugging on the General Assembly’s sleeve and pointing at someone else’s wallet.
Carol Hedges, executive director of CFI, said in an interview in some other publication that “what I took away from Prop. CC was that was not the solution.” Clearly. She goes on to say “that solution didn’t address the concerns of folks who voted in the election, and we have an obligation to solve those problems.”
What problems are those, exactly?
Dec
27
Any TABOR measure needs to say what it is
Any TABOR measure needs to say what it is
If we asked readers to give us their honest feedback about Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution, we doubt we’d get any. Who, besides lawmakers or legislative staff, could even hazard a guess as to what issue that part of the Constitution addresses?
But if we asked readers to give us their honest feedback about the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, that’s a different story. Even if you didn’t have a firm position on whether it affects the state’s ability to deliver government services, you’d at least be familiar with the general subject matter.
Dec
17
Happy New Year From Your Colorado TABOR Foundation!
By a vote of 55% to 45%, you helped defeat Prop CC to remove TABOR spending limits, but they’re at it again.
Anti-TABOR activists are already testing ballot language for a 2020 initiative to unwind your Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. With a high Democratic voter turnout, they see next year’s election as their chance to amend the State Constitution to give government taxing authority without a vote of the people.
The TABOR Foundation educates voters on how the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights protects their livelihood and why it matters to their family’s future.
We give seminars, media interviews, social media updates, and we’re a primary contact for citizens asking for help when their local jurisdictions violate TABOR mandates. Importantly, we engage in legal action to protect TABOR.
Defending freedom costs time – and money. We need more help. What can you do to help us?
Please send your donation of $50, $100, $150 or more. Checks payable to TABOR Foundation, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, may be tax deductible as allowed by law.
And, we welcome your service with our Board of Directors, Speakers Bureau, or in some other capacity. Please call me to talk about being more involved. Thanks!
Sincerely,
Penn R. Pfiffner
Chairman
303-233-7731
TABOR Foundation
720 Kipling St.
Lakewood, CO 80215
www.thetaborfoundation.org
Dec
15
Support The Taxpayer’s Bill Of Rights (TABOR)
Dec
03
OPINION | Family-leave ‘fee’ (spelled t-a-x) is another end-run on TABOR
It looks like @ColoradoDems in the #coleg are moving “full steam ahead” on state-sponsored #PaidFamilyLeave. But watch how they decide to fund it. They’ll prob create a new tax w/out #TABOR vote – & call it a FEE. My latest for @colo_politics
OPINION | Family-leave ‘fee’ (spelled t-a-x) is another end-run on TABOR
- Jimmy Sengenberger
There are a couple of federal government programs that have been around for decades. You might have heard of them: Social Security and Medicare.
You might also know that these programs are funded by payroll taxes. If you’re an employee working at a company, then the contribution is “split” 50/50 between you and your employer. Your portion is withheld and sent to the government each paycheck. If you’re self-employed, you must pay the full amount yourself. According to the IRS, the tax rates total 12.4% and 2.9% for social security and Medicare, respectively.
You’ll notice that the creators of these programs were clear they’d be funded with a payroll tax on both employees and employers. They didn’t play word games. They were upfront that every working American would be taxed a percentage of their income to support Social Security and Medicare.
Colorado Democrats are moving “full steam ahead” to create a new, statewide paid family leave (PFL) fund. This program would enable employees to receive “12 weeks of paid family leave for pregnancies, infant or sick relative care, or recovery from illness.”
The 2020 bill is still being written following input from a commission tasked with proposing ideas. But if the fund ends up being financed in a way that is similar to the 2019 version’s formula, it would involve a split — perhaps 60/40 — between employees and employers.
To read the rest of this story, please click (HERE):