Category Archives: Elections

Apr 08

Colorado Dems push resolution to sue over TABOR

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FNF Colorado State Capitol, Denver, dome
Colorado State Capitol in Denver
Photo by Paul Moody on Unsplash
(The Center Square) – Colorado Democrats are looking to challenge the constitutionality of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in court again.

A joint resolution introduced this week, if passed, would require the Committee on Legal Services to hire legal counsel and file a lawsuit over TABOR on behalf of the General Assembly.

TABOR, which was added to the state constitution after voters passed it in 1992, requires voter approval for all proposed tax increases. It also reins in state spending by limiting revenue growth to inflation plus the rate of population growth. Any revenue surplus must be refunded to taxpayers under the constitutional amendment.

Democrats have long pointed to TABOR for the state’s budget woes. Joint Budget Committee Chair Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, on Thursday pointed to TABOR after the Senate passed the state’s $43.9 billion budget bill and dealt with a $1.2 billion deficit.

“This is a budget that no one is happy with but that everyone can be proud of,” he said in a statement. “Thanks to the rationing equation in TABOR, the Joint Budget Committee faced difficult decisions that resulted in painful tradeoffs. But unlike Washington, we made these cuts thoughtfully, strategically and with bipartisan support. We eliminated dozens of programs and invested those savings in public education and public safety and public lands.”

“It’s not a perfect budget, but it’s responsible and responsive to our TABOR constraints while keeping our commitment to the people of Colorado,” Bridges added.

Conservative advocacy groups and defenders of TABOR point to the majority Democrats’ bloated spending as the issue.

“The problem isn’t that people are taxed too little. The problem is that state government is spending too much,” Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Republican on the JBC, said on the Senate floor Thursday. “It is our moral duty to justify every dollar that we spend. So the first step needs to define our priorities because if you think everything should be funded, if you think everything is a priority, you essentially have no priority.”

To continue reading the rest of this article, please click (HERE) to go to The Center Square

Apr 07

ICYMI Over The Past 31 Years, This Has Been Part Of Their Colorado Democrats Party Platform

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#HandsOffTABOR
#DontBeFooled
#ItsYourMoneyNotTheirs
#TABOR
#FollowTheLaw
#FeesAreTaxes
#VoteOnFees
#ReplaceThemAllForNotFollowingVotersWishes

Apr 07

Stop Trying To Kill TABOR. No Means NO!

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CALL TO ACTION: Protect TABOR Here we go again… Lawmakers are once again trying to silence Colorado voters and gut TABOR with HJR25-1023. Apparently, letting taxpayers decide on taxes is just too much democracy. We said no to Prop 66, Prop 120, and Prop HH. The courts have dismissed this exact argument once before. NO MEANS NO. The resolution will be heard in the Finance Committee on Monday. Sign up to testify against this foolish waste of our money. Sign up to testify at: leg.colorado.gov/content/commit #ProtectTABOR #HandsOffMyVote

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

Unsustainable: Colorado budget structural deficit means widespread cuts

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Unsustainable: Colorado budget structural deficit means widespread cuts

Unlike the federal government, the state is constitutionally mandated to produce a balanced spending plan each year.

That red flag warning from the chief economist of the Legislative Council and the director of the Joint Budget Committee staff in February signaled the problems ahead for the budget writers, as they tried to figure out not only how to cover a $1.2 billion general fund shortfall but also deal with a “structural deficit” that could affect future spending.

The structural deficit, circa 2021
The structural deficit as defined in 2021.

The structural deficit appears when state spending reaches the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights cap. Despite a relatively healthy economy, according to recent forecasts, once the budget reaches the cap, without changes approved by voters, such as those made with Referendum C in 2005, lawmakers would be required to cut spending.

Joint Budget Committee members acknowledge that a structural deficit exists, but they differ on its causes and how to address it.

The panel had to come up with $1.2 billion in cuts from the general fund, which is the discretionary part of the state budget. The other two pots of money in the state budget are cash funds from fees and other sources, as well as federal dollars. The largest portion of federal funding, approximately $9 billion, is allocated to the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, with the majority dedicated to Medicaid.

The budget panel “closed” the budget on Wednesday evening, March 26. It is now preparing to introduce what’s called the Long Appropriations Bill and possibly as many as 80 “orbital” bills that make the statutory changes needed to balance the budget. That’s a record, and by a long way; most years, the JBC offers no more than 30 orbitals.

“This is the most complicated budget that we have had,” said JBC Chair Sen. Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village. “The complexity in this budget stems from our thoughtful, strategic, and bipartisan approach.”

Panel delays budget introduction as it scrambles to find solutions 

On March 21, Bridges, recognizing that the budget would not be ready on time, sought and obtained permission from the Senate to delay it by a week, from March 24 to March 31. While it’s a week later than initially scheduled, it shouldn’t affect lawmakers’ ability to present the finished — and hopefully balanced — budget to the governor before late April.

The other decision the JBC made during the week of March 17 was to use the slightly more optimistic forecast presented on Monday by the Office of State Budgeting and Planning, which provided them with approximately $168 million more breathing room under the TABOR cap. That decision was adopted on a 4-2 vote, with the committee’s Republicans objecting. The latter preferred to use the more conservative numbers from the Legislative Council forecast.

The week’s delay bought the JBC time to tackle the most difficult decisions it faced in crafting the 2025-26 state budget — funding for higher education, Medicaid and specific programs within K-12 education, although the dollars for public schools will take place through the School Finance Act, a separate measure expected to be introduced shortly after the budget.

The most drastic cuts would be painful, budget drafters warned.

Click (HERE) to continue reading this story.

Mar 16

The New Property Tax Revolt Is About Freedom

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Barry Poulson

Barry Poulson | Mar 15, 2025

Most citizens make a rationale choice in purchasing a home. As the late Thomas Sowell said, “an affordable home is a home you can afford.” For much of our history, home ownership was the most important decision that citizens made to accumulate wealth over their lifetime. Paying off one’s mortgage was a lifetime event, allowing citizens to retire in comfort. But today, many citizens are losing the dream of home ownership.

Unlike other taxes, property taxes give citizens freedom of choice in deciding to invest in a home. Citizens can compare the government services offered relative to the property taxes they must pay in different jurisdictions. And citizens can vote with their feet, moving to a jurisdiction that matches their preferences. Since a large share of property taxes are earmarked for education, citizens can compare the quality of schools and the property taxes in different school districts.

But, high rates of inflation distort the rational choices that citizens make in investing in a home. Since 2020, citizens have been hit with a double whammy. Higher interest rates and higher home prices have priced many citizens out of the housing market. Citizens who own a home are often left with the choice of selling their home and downsizing to a home they can afford. But homeowners ask the obvious question, why should I have to sell my home simply because the government has failed to stabilize prices?

To continue reading this article, please click (HERE) to go to the website

Mar 13

Letter to the Editor: Facts about TABOR

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Facts about TABOR

Editor:

The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) was approved by voters in 1992. Colorado voters approved a measure which amended Article X of the Colorado Constitution that restricts revenues for all levels of government (state, local and schools).

Under TABOR, state and local governments cannot raise tax rates without voter approval and cannot spend revenues collected under existing tax rates without voter approval. Revenue in excess of the TABOR limit, must be refunded to taxpayers. Under TABOR, the state has returned more than $2 billion to taxpayers.

For 32 years Colorado citizens have received a TABOR check with no conditional requirements. Last year, taxpayers received an $800 check for one qualifying taxpayer or $1,600 for two qualifying taxpayers filing jointly.

Today’s Colorado Department of Revenue’s web page states:

“Attention, please remember that you must claim the state sales tax refund (TABOR refund) when filing your state income tax return or Property Tax/Rent/Heat Rebate (PTC) Application. If you claimed a 2024 refund, the TABOR refund will be combined and issued with your tax refund. Unlike the 2022 Colorado cashback, no separate check will be issued.”

Now you, the taxpayer, must opt in your “Modified Adjusted Gross Income” from your Federal Tax Report to determine your TABOR refund. If you do not fill in lines 31 to 34 on your state 2024 Colorado individual income tax return form DR 0104, you will not receive a refund. No $800 or $1,600 checks this year. Continue reading →

Mar 03

What is TABOR: The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights? – Advance Colorado Rundown

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Advance Colorado Executive Vice President Kristi Burton Brown gives a brief history and explanation of Colorado’s unique taxpayer protection: the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. This revenue cap limits the state government’s ability to spend taxpayer dollars and requires refunds to be sent to Coloradans when the government collects beyond the limit.

What is TABOR: The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights? – Advance Colorado Rundown – Advance Colorado Rundown – Omny.fm

Jan 09

Gonzalez: Colorado’s TABOR Amendment serving taxpayers well

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Gonzalez: Colorado’s TABOR Amendment serving taxpayers well

January 7, 2025 By Rep. Ryan Gonzalez

In 1992, Colorado voters passed the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, the nation’s strongest tax limitation law to this day. For those who are unfamiliar what TABOR really does, this amendment to the Colorado Constitution allows government spending to reasonably increase using a formula of population growth plus inflation. Excess revenue, known as the “TABOR surplus,” must be refunded to taxpayers. If state government wants to keep the surplus, or raise taxes, voters must approve. That is exactly why progressives abhor TABOR. But the truth is, a little north of 60% of Colorado voters approve of TABOR.

Many progressives have made their disdain for TABOR be known, having tried time and time again to chip away at TABOR’s taxpayer protections. And in many ways, they’ve done so; mostly by adding tax credits which pull from the TABOR surplus. They’ve done so by giving everyone equal tax refunds and redistributing wealth; taking from those who paid the most in state taxes and giving more to those who paid little.

In 2022, the Democrat majority, just before a critical midterm election, gave taxpayers what they called the “Colorado cash back” in disguise as a “stimulus” check. What they didn’t tell you is that it was actually your TABOR refund, just early and proportioned against historical distribution. Continue reading →