Category Archives: Proposition HH

Nov 25

Perspective: Taxes — by another name

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Perspective: Taxes — by another name

  • By Lang Sias

Since 2018, Colorado taxpayers have benefited from two reductions to the state income tax that together have brought the rate from 4.63% to 4.4%, for an aggregate reduction of 0.23%. These reductions have been much heralded by state government leaders and have elicited approving comments from a wide range of observers.

The applause for these tax cuts, however, has obscured a separate tactic that state leaders increasingly have used to extract revenue from Coloradans in amounts that dwarf the income tax reductions. During the last two decades, Coloradans have seen a steady increase in the fees paid to a wide range of state enterprises. The pattern has accelerated dramatically since 2018.

According to a recent Common Sense Institute study, fee-based revenue to enterprises has increased since 2018 by an amount equivalent to a 0.51% increase in the state income tax — so, more than double the recent tax cuts. If Colorado’s fee enterprises, minus higher education, were instead funded by the state income tax, the state income tax would increase to 7.68%, a 75% increase over the current rate of 4.4%.

Continue reading →

Jul 30

EDITORIAL: Salute our state’s constitution this Colorado Day

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EDITORIAL: Salute our state’s constitution this Colorado Day

  • The Gazette editorial board

On Thursday, the state of Colorado turns 148 — and Coloradans no doubt can think of many good reasons to celebrate.

Among them of course are the Centennial State’s unmatched natural wonders. There’s also the state’s exquisite climate; its vast, wide-open spaces, and its abundant resources — from oil and gas underground to the wind and sunshine all around — that heat our homes, power our automobiles and light the way.

One blessing that’s more directly connected to the advent of Colorado’s statehood itself is our founding charter — our state’s constitution — which shares the same birthday. Drafted in March of 1876 and approved by territorial voters on July 1 of the same year, the Colorado Constitution formally took effect Aug. 1, 1876, when Colorado was admitted to the union.

There’s good reason to celebrate the state’s constitution, as well, on Colorado Day.

Like any constitution, ours isn’t without foibles. At times it has left itself wide open to interpretation, and activist courts have been happy to oblige. Yet, on the balance, Colorado’s constitution has served its citizens pretty well — including by way of some well-timed and well-placed amendments to the document over the generations. Continue reading →

Jan 12

Polis Pitches Tax Cuts, But His Democrat-Run Statehouse Isn’t On Board

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Polis Pitches Tax Cuts, But His Democrat-Run Statehouse Isn’t On Board

Patrick Gleason, Contributor
I cover the intersection of state & federal policy and politics.

Dec 15, 2023,05:40am EST

Colorado Governor Jared Polis (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)
GETTY IMAGES

If Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) were to coauthor a New Republic column with Paul Krugman or another famous progressive economist touting the benefits of greater government spending, that would surprise many. Yet the ideological analog to that occurred recently, with Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) coauthoring an article with economist Arthur Laffer, in which they tout the benefits of reduced tax rates. Governor Polis and Dr. Laffer also contend that the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), Colorado’s thirty one year old constitutional amendment that prevents state spending from growing faster than population growth plus inflation and requires tax hikes to receive voter approval, is flawed.

In their op-ed, published in National Review on December 7, Polis and Laffer lament that tax limitation measures “such as Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, that focus on tax payments rather than tax rates totally miss the opportunity to address the damage done by high tax rates.” Polis and Laffer bemoan the fact that TABOR surpluses are not automatically refunded in the form of tax rate reductions and instead go out as rebate checks.

“If there is an excess in tax revenues above population growth and inflation, as defined by TABOR, that means tax rates should have been lower but were not,” write Polis and Laffer. “The law serves as a signal that tax rates have been too high. The proper response to this signal is not to have it keep signaling, but to get the message and cut tax rates permanently.”

What’s more, Governor Polis’s stated desire for tax rate reductions is belied by his enactment of a bill that will make it more difficult to pass income tax cuts in the future by ballot measure. That new law, which was signed by Polis in 2021, mandates that citizen-initiated income tax cuts feature poison pill ballot language claiming the measure will reduce funding for education, healthcare, and other priorities, even when that’s not true.

Colorado House Minority Leader Mike Lynch (R) and Senator Byron Pelton (R) introduced a bill during last month’s special legislative session that would have reduced Colorado’s income tax rate from 4.4% to 4.0%. Governor Polis acknowledges the economic benefits of lowering income tax rates in his recent column, yet he did not support that bill, which was killed in committee along party lines.

Click (HERE) to go to Forbes to read the rest of this article

Nov 02

Only tax INCREASES have to go on the ballot. Vote NO on Prop HH

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Only tax INCREASES have to go on the ballot.

Tax DECREASES do not.

Prop HH is on the ballot. . . .

Don’t be fooled by Leftist smoke and mirrors.

This is one of the biggest money grabs in Colorado history.

#ItsYourMoneyNotTheirs
#DontBeFooled
#VoteNoOnPropHH
#TABOR

 

Oct 23

Hillman: How Proposition HH picks Colorado taxpayers’ pockets

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We didn’t need an election this November to receive a modest property tax reduction.  The legislature can cut taxes anytime; it doesn’t need voter approval.

But with Coloradans facing the largest property tax increase of our lifetime due to soaring home prices, the legislature chose to put a massive expansion of government on the ballot disguised as a property tax cut.

Remember this: even if Proposition HH passes, property taxes will still increase.  If property values double in the next 10 years, so will property taxes.

The deceptive ballot question asks: “Shall the state reduce property taxes for homes and businesses…”  That sounds good, so voters may not read much further.  Even if they do, the ballot never explains voting “yes” is agreeing to give up refunds under the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) and to permanently increase the cost of state government. Continue reading →

Oct 17

The Real Price Of Ballot Prop HH

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The TABOR Committee welcomed the campaign by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) to oppose Proposition HH.

The organization is the nation’s leading group that represents small business, which includes individual retailers, independent professional practices and others that keep our country’s economy humming.  Colorado’s state chapter is at the forefront of the opposition.  The NFIB must have a supermajority of its members in order to take a position and all NFIB surveys and ballots must be statistically valid before release.  This vote was 9 to 1 to defeat Prop HH!  “It’s hard for any group to get such unanimity about even the time of day,” observed TABOR Committee Chairman Penn Pfiffner.  “It’s wonderfully overwhelming to see that strong vote from businesses across the state.”

The NFIB has been speaking out against Proposition HH and running radio ads.  You can listen to those ads by clicking here.

 “We’re calling out Proposition HH for what it really is, a bait-and-switch, offering a temporary property tax cut but undoing TABOR refunds,” said Tony Gagliardi, the Colorado NFIB state director.

You can find more information at NFIB’s web page that covers its assessment of Proposition HH at https://www.nfib.com/refund-colorado/

 

#DontBeFooled
#ItsYourMoneyNotTheirs
#VoteNoOnPropHH
#TABOR

Oct 10

Raising your taxes is why Prop HH is on the ballot this November.

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The Colorado Legislature is legally required to get your vote if they want to RAISE taxes. They can LOWER taxes at any point and without your vote.

Raising your taxes is why Prop HH is on the ballot this November.

#DontBeFooled
#ItsYourMoneyNotTheirs
#VoteNoOnPropHH
#TABOR

Oct 09

Legislators Point To Abuse: Proposition HH

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August 2023

Dear Voters and Taxpayers:

Proposition HH is NOT what proponents say it is.  It is a huge tax increase.  It takes your tax refunds already owed back to you but is disguised as a small amount of property tax relief to local governments.  It raises State taxes by billions of dollars.

You should be outraged by how it came to get on the ballot.  A great thing about the General Assembly is that it allows for views to be shared, citizens to testify in committee, and for important changes to be thoroughly debated.  That’s not what happened.  The legislation did not go through a proper Committee of Reference, like the Finance Committees in both chambers, as it should have.  Also, it was introduced almost at the end of session.  Further, reasonable debate was cut off in both chambers so that minority voices were silenced!

Legislators had a duty to follow the right process.  Instead, they disrespected the rules and damaged democracy.  What they did instead was sneaky and dictatorial.  Don’t let them get away with violating your rights!  Insist on a new session that conforms to an honest and open process!

PLEASE VOTE “NO” ON PROPOSITION HH this November

Send the legislature back to work for a real solution.

Current legislators:

Rod Bockenfeld  HD 56

Rose Pugliese   HD 14 Scott Bottoms   HD 15 Don Wilson   HD 20
Mary Bradfield    HD 21 Ken DeGraaf   HD 22 Brandi Bradley    HD39
Anthony Hartsook    HD 44 Lisa Frizell   HD 45 Ty Winter    HD 47
Gabe Evans   HD 48 Ron Weinberg  HD51 Matt Soper  HD54
Rick Taggart   HD 55 Marc Catlin   HD 58 Stephanie Luck   HD 60
Richard Holtorf    HD 63 Ryan Armagost   HD 64 Mike Lynch   HD65
Paul Lundeen  SD 9 Byron Pelton  SD 1 Mark Baisley  SD 4
Perry Will  SD 5 Janice Rich  SD 7 Larry Liston   SD 10
Bob Gardner  SD 12 Kevin Van Winkle  SD 30 Rod Pelton  SD 35

 

Past legislators

Penn Pfiffner  1993 – 2000

Steve Acquafresca   1991 – 1997 John Andrews   2003 -2005 Barry Arrington  1997 – 1998
Greg Brophy   2003 – 2014 Perry Buck  2013 – 2020 Mark Cloer  2000 – 2006
Phil Covarrubias  2017 – 2018 Mary Dabman  1983 – 1989 Doug Dean 1995 – 2002
Frank DeFilippo  1978-1984

Tim Fritz  1999 – 2003

 Cliff Dodge 1976-1988

Dorothy Gotlieb  1996 – 2000

 Robert Fairbank  1998 – 2004

Bill Jerke  1989 – 1996
Bob Kirscht  1971 – 1987 Don Lee   1999 – 2004 Shawn Mitchell  1999 – 2013
Pam Nagel Rhodes   2000 – 2004 Lori Saine  2013 -2021 Mike Salaz  1992 – 1999
Jeff Shoemaker   1987 – 1992 Ron Teck  1999 – 2006 Mark Waller  2009  –  2014
Brad Young 1996 – 2004 Pat Grant  1985 – 1992 Terri Carver  2015-2023
Patrick Neville  2015-2023 Lola Spradley  1997-2003 Vickie Agler  1991 – 1998
Ben Alexander  1995 – 1998 Kay Alexander  1997-2002 Don Beezley  2011-2013
Jeanne Faatz  1979-1998 Sally Hopper  1987-1998 Eric Prinzler  1995-1998
Andy Pico  2021-2022 Carol Taylor  1983-1991  

Oct 09

Colorado Special Districts Association Opposes Proposition HH

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The TABOR Committee is celebrating the decision by the Colorado Special Districts Association to oppose Proposition HH!

Special districts are local governments that provide services such as fire protection and rescue, water, sanitation, hospitals and libraries.  The Association represents about 2,600 of the 3,300 plus districts throughout the state.

The Association developed a template for its members to urge a No vote on the November 7th ballot.  The template observes that “… Proposition HH will increase the State’s TABOR spending limit, allowing the State to spend billions of dollars more than it did before,” and continues with the alarming note that, if HH passes, then Special Districts will only receive “reimbursements (that) are a small percentage of the billions of dollars more that the State will retain.”

 The Association’s statement ends with a clarion call to reject Proposition HH by concluding that “Proposition HH diminishes the ability of (a special district) to provide the vital services, facilities, and infrastructure that the public needs, expects, and demands.  Vote NO on Proposition HH at the statewide election on November 7, 2023.”