Category Archives: TABOR Refunds

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 05

Colorado without TABOR? Higher taxes. No refunds. No vote.

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Colorado without TABOR? Higher taxes. No refunds. No vote. Watch video: youtu.be/4AXTCw698ew?fe The bill to overturn TABOR is Monday, April 7 in the House Finance Committee. (HJR 1023) Testify from home—no need to miss work. Sign up: leg.colorado.gov/testimony #ProtectTABOR #copolitics 

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

 

Apr 05

URGENT: Colorado Legislators Want to Sue the People, Reverse TABOR, Biggest Tax Increase Ever?!

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This Monday, April 7th, we need you to speak out in defense of your rights, your paycheck, and your family’s finances.

That’s when HJR25-1023: Require General Assembly TABOR Constitutionality Lawsuit will be heard in Committee.

This latest scheme is to sue the people of Colorado with the purpose of repealing the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR).

If successful, this would be the largest tax increase in Colorado history. Your TABOR tax refund would disappear, taxpayers would lose their right to approve tax increases, and governments across Colorado would be able to steal more money from hardworking Colorado families.

In this video, Natalie Menten provides the background on this measure, talking points you can use during testimony, and information on the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

Please speak, in-person or remote in defense of TABOR by opposing HJR25-1023.

Testimony information:

Bill info: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hjr25-1023

Hearing time: Monday, April 7th in the House Finance Committee at 1:30 pm in House Committee Room 0112, first floor of the State Capitol.

Sign up here: https://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2025A/commsumm.nsf/NewSignIn.xsp

Easiest to find: “By Committee and Hearing Item”

Committee Name: House Finance

Meeting Date and Time: 04/07/2025 01:30 PM

Hearing Item: House Finance: HJR25-1023 (Require GA TABOR Constitutionality Lawsuit)

Talking Points:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

URGENT: Colorado Legislators Want to Sue the People, Reverse TABOR, Biggest Tax Increase Ever?! – Free State Colorado

Apr 02

10th Circuit dismisses lawsuit challenging validity of TABOR

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We just wanted to remind you that the premise of this case was settled in December, 2021 but the political party on the left doesn’t learn. Here’s the headline and story:

10th Circuit dismisses lawsuit challenging validity of TABOR

FILE PHOTO: The Byron R. White U.S. Courthouse in Denver, which houses the Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit.

MICHAEL KARLIK/COLORADO POLITICS

The federal appeals court based in Denver has dismissed the long-running lawsuit seeking to void Colorado’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights, finding in a 7-2 decision that a collection of local governments has no basis to challenge the 1992 constitutional amendment.

Chief Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich, writing for himself and six of his colleagues, concluded that the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners, a handful of school districts and one special district failed to show that the 1875 Enabling Act that guaranteed to Colorado a “republican” form of government had also given the local government entities the ability to challenge TABOR’s taxing and spending restrictions.

“Looking at the Enabling Act’s language, we conclude the plaintiffs cannot state a claim under the Act’s promise of a republican constitution. Neither the Enabling Act’s text nor structure supports the political subdivisions’ arguments. The clause promising a constitution republican in form has no clear beneficiary,” Tymkovich wrote in the Dec. 13 decision.

The ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit represents a blow to opponents of TABOR, who argue that it has starved governments of revenue and made crucial funding obligations, such as education and transportation, more difficult through the imposition of tax increases only at the permission of voters.

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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 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