Category Archives: TABOR Refunds

May 02

What Colorado Could Face Without The TAxpayer’s Bill Of Rights (TABOR)

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Colorado House Joint Resolution HJR25-1023 seeks to challenge the constitutionality of TABOR (Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights) by authorizing a lawsuit to determine whether TABOR deprives Colorado of a republican form of government. The resolution argues that TABOR limits legislative authority over taxation and spending, shifting power to direct voter approval rather than elected representatives.

Impact on TABOR

  • Legal Challenge: If successful, the lawsuit could lead to TABOR being overturned, removing taxpayer refund protections and allowing the legislature to set taxes without voter approval.
  • Reduced Refunds: TABOR has historically provided billions in taxpayer refunds; weakening or eliminating it could result in fewer or no refunds.
  • Government Spending: Without TABOR’s restrictions, Colorado’s government could retain more revenue, potentially increasing funding for public programs but also raising concerns about unchecked spending.

This resolution is part of a broader legislative effort to redefine Colorado’s tax policies, sparking debate over whether TABOR is a safeguard for taxpayers or an obstacle to government flexibility.

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

 

May 02

HJR25-1023 TABOR challenge could be heard Friday, May 2

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While at the Capitol this afternoon, Rep. Rose Pugliese told me HJR25-1023 will likely get its 3rd Reading Friday.

Since we’re in the final days of the legislative session, expedited rules apply—meaning a committee hearing can be scheduled with less than 24 hours’ notice.

HJR25-1023 is expected to receive its 3rd reading in the State House today (Friday, May 2). It could be introduced in the Senate the same day and quickly referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

The session ends Wednesday, May 7.

I may have to bolt down there last minute and won’t have time to alert everyone. Please try to tune into the House floor. Once it passes, shift to the Senate to catch the introduction and committee referral—likely Senate Finance.

Watch & Listen: https://leg.colorado.gov/watch-listen

Virtual Testimony Sign-up: leg.colorado.gov/testimony

Natalie Menten, TABOR Board member

Apr 29

Colorado General Assembly bills along with their fiscal notes and TABOR impact

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Have you ever wished for a spreadsheet listing all the current (or prior) Colorado General Assembly bills along with their fiscal notes and TABOR impact?

It’s available along with some other datasets—if you know where to look.

? Like here: https://leg.colorado.gov/publications/fiscal-note-reports-2025

Apr 24

TABOR is under a coordinated, two-prong attack

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TABOR is under a coordinated, two-prong attack — and both aim to silence voters.

First, HJR25-1023 seeks to sue the taxpayers by asking the courts to overturn the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights entirely. It’s waiting for debate on the House floor and is backed by lawmakers who can’t stand that voters get the final say on tax increases. Even worse — they want to force taxpayers to fund the lawsuit that overturns their own will. This is a direct assault on constitutional rights and basic democratic principles. Continue reading →

Apr 21

Threats to TABOR are threats to democracy | CALDARA

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TABOR simply means voter consent.
TABOR is democracy.
Weakening TABOR is weakening democracy.

Every couple of years the spending lobby orchestrates an assault on our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. They are testing another onslaught likely for next year.

I was around for the fights to pass TABOR in the early 1990s. Then-Gov.Roy Romer famously declared if it passed, it will put a “going out of business” sign on the entrance to Colorado.

Oddly, our population has nearly doubled since then, and state spending has ballooned from just more than $6 billion to roughly $44 billion.

Read that headline again. Since TABOR, our population grew one-fold, state spending grew 7-fold. Predictable tax and spending policy helped create a boom.

The opposite of Romer’s scare is true. If we mess with our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, then we might as well put a “going out of business” sign on the entrance to Colorado.

Like telling tales of the boogeyman around the campfire to frighten children, those who feed on unconstrained spending want to scare the kids too. The young in this case are those who weren’t in Colorado before we demanded simple voter consent over our own money.

Get ready for a new batch of stories on how this Chupacabra of fiscal restraint is somehow making our lives worse, and the only way to slay the monster is to attack democracy and take away our right of consent. Continue reading →

Apr 18

Hillman: TABOR is the people’s law—Democrats want to sue it out of existence

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By Mark Hillman | Colorado Politics

Lawmakers and special interests routinely ask Colorado voters to raise taxes so they can spend more of our money. Most often, voters say, “No!”

Now certain “progressive” Democrat lawmakers plan to use our own tax dollars to sue us for limiting their power to raise our taxes.

That’s disgusting even by the gutter standards of this legislature.

Having demonstrated their contempt for the rights of law-abiding Coloradans to exercise freedom of speech and to keep and bear arms as protected by the U.S. Constitution, Democrats at our State Capitol now want us to believe they care about respecting that same Constitution.

Led by Reps. Sean Camacho (D-Denver) and Lorena Garcia (D-Adams County) and Sens. Lindsay Daugherty (D-Arvada) and Iman Jodeh (D-Aurora), Democrats have proposed a resolution (HJR 1023) to order the state to initiate a lawsuit challenging the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (aka TABOR) in our state constitution.

Defending TABOR is the state’s responsibility, but no one currently holding statewide elected office publicly supports TABOR, so Colorado taxpayers have a right to believe the deck is stacked to screw us.

READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT COLORADO POLITICS

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