Jun 07

Colorado Supreme Court Issues 2nd Anti-TABOR Decision in Less than a Month—Showing Why We Need Reform!

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Colorado Supreme Court Issues 2nd Anti-TABOR Decision in Less than a Month—Showing Why We Need Reform!

The Colorado Supreme Court has continued its demolition campaign against the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) with a new decision further restricting the people’s right to vote on tax increases. This latest decision comes less than a month after the court held the people have no right to vote on a law that re-adjusted sales tax exemptions in a manner that increased revenue.

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Jun 07

GAS TAX REPEAL THREATS DRIVE JERRY BROWN TO THE AID OF VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS

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Without TABOR, politicians can impose more taxes on Colorado without a vote of the people….

Gas tax repeal threats drive Jerry Brown to the aid of vulnerable Democrats

BY ALEXEI KOSEFF akoseff@sacbee.com

May 30, 2018 05:45 AM

Updated May 30, 2018 10:26 AM

While a proposed gas tax repeal has yet to officially qualify for the November ballot, Gov. Jerry Brown and his allies are already on a defensive campaign to save the unpopular fee hike — and vulnerable lawmakers who voted for it.

Brown and legislative Democrats put a lot of political capital on the line last year when they passed a major increase on transportation fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees, promising to fix California’s crumbling roads and highways. Now Republicans are trying to take advantage of the situation by turning it into one of the major campaign issues of the 2018 election.

One senator who voted for the plan is facing a recall drive that could cost Democrats their supermajority in the upper house. And GOP candidates for governor and Congress are funding an initiative to repeal the taxes in a bid to save their own seats, banking on the measure driving up conservative turnout this fall.

Public polls have consistently shown that California voters do not like the gas tax increase, which took effect last November, and a majority is prepared to approve the repeal. It would be a massive setback for much-needed infrastructure repairs and a rebuke to Brown at the end of his historic four terms as governor.

So he’s hit the road in recent weeks to try to change Californians’ minds.

Brown will join Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu of Torrance and Maxine Waters of Los Angeles, among others, for a ceremony at 10:45 a.m. in Torrance to launch the construction of a terminal for LA Metro’s light rail extension into the South Bay, a project paid for in part by the new gas tax.

The guest of honor is Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Manhattan Beach, one of the final holdouts the night that the funding plan passed. Muratsuchi narrowly lost his seat in 2014, before winning it back in 2016.

This is Brown’s third event related to the gas tax in the past two weeks. He spoke in Los Angeles the day after the California Transportation Commission approved $2.7 billion for new construction and was scheduled to join Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, last week for a press conference about an overpass project in Oxnard. (He ultimately missed it because of a flight delay.)

Where Brown is not available, prominently branded signs are filling in.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article212123339.html

Jun 04

Grand Lake rescinds municipal fee

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Good news from Grand Lake!

I am pleased to announce that the Town of Grand Lake has rescinded the outrageous municipal fee this last Tuesday, May 29th by a vote of 6-1.  The action followed two unsuccessful attempts to rescind the municipal fee on January 8th and February 12th 2018

This could have not been possible, if it were not for the election of four new trustees at the April 2nd election.  All four new trustees voted to rescind the municipal fee along with the Mayor and myself.

A little background:  The municipal fee was adopted to cover approximately 50% ($80k annually) of the cost to cover police service including dispatch and street lighting.  Traditionally, these expenses were always covered by the normal taxes and fees collected in the general fund.

The Municipal fee became a “Hot Topic” during the election process and the candidate forum we had at the end of March.  The electorate was offended that they were not asked to vote for the municipal fee, but rather the money was stolen out of their pocketbooks just as a common thief would do.   Continue reading →

May 23

Supreme Court upholds Aspen’s grocery bag fee

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Supreme Court upholds Aspen’s grocery bag fee

Plastic Bags

Aspen City Council banned plastic grocery bags, shown here in a market in Snowmass Village, in 2011, while implementing a 20-cent fee on paper bags. The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday found that the fee was not a tax.  

Craig Turpin

The Colorado Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision announced Monday, upheld Aspen’s fee on paper grocery bags, finding that the 20-cent charge is not a tax because it offsets the costs of a municipal waste-reduction program.

The state high court upheld a district court decision from 2014 and a Colorado Court of Appeals ruling from 2015. The Colorado Union of Taxpayers, a Lakewood-based group that advocates for conservative tax policy, brought the lawsuit following the program’s implementation in 2012, arguing that the fee is actually a tax. Since new taxes must be approved by voters under the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights constitutional amendment, the group argued that the fee, which was not put up for voter approval, was unconstitutional.

Aspen City Council in 2011 passed the so-called waste-reduction ordinance, which banned single-use plastic bags offered upon checkout at local grocery stores and required the 20-cent fee for paper bags. The program’s goal is to encourage shoppers to bring reusable bags while ridding the community of the ubiquitous plastic bags that create an environmental hazard when not disposed of properly and otherwise contribute to the waste steam.

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May 22

Colorado’s TABOR amendment getting fresh scrutiny amid funding discussions, proposed ballot measures

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Colorado’s TABOR amendment getting fresh scrutiny amid funding discussions, proposed ballot measures

Marc Stewart
2:44 PM, May 21, 2018
taxpayer’s bill of rights | tabor | colorado taor | douglas bruce | only voters can raise taxes

Editor’s Note: Denver7 360 stories explore multiple sides of the topics that matter most to Coloradans, bringing in different perspectives so you can make up your own mind about the issues. To comment on this or other 360 stories, email us at 360@TheDenverChannel.com. See more 360 stories here.

DENVER — Whether you’ve lived in Colorado for a short time, or your entire life, you’ve probably heard about what’s known as TABOR: The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

Promoted by Republican lawmaker Douglas Bruce, voters in Colorado passed it back in 1992.  Under the TABOR amendment, taxes can’t be raised without voter approval. That includes the state sales tax and property taxes.

“It ensures that government cannot grow beyond what the people want it to do,” said Michael Fields of the conservative-leaning group Americans for Prosperity.

Fields argues TABOR leads to smart spending with an existing budget, prevents government from getting out of control and gives people of Colorado the power to decide when it’s appropriate to raise taxes.

“I think you make the case to the people,” Fields said. “If you want to invest in something more, then go make the case to the people – convince them that they need more revenue and that’ll pass.”

But there’s another side to TABOR.

“It’s not something good to have on our books. It’s actually hindered our ability as a state to do many things,” said TABOR opponent Amie Baca-Oehlert, of the Colorado Education Association.

She says she feels TABOR is a roadblock for lawmakers that prevents them from making responsible spending decisions in places where it is needed most, like Colorado’s schools.

“That just doesn’t seem right in a state with such a fast-growing economy,” she said.

But Colorado needs money to fix our ailing roads and bridges. So a push is underway to convince voters to approve a sales tax hike this November.  Educators are also pushing a tax increase to help public schools after a 2013 $1 billion proposed tax increase to pay for school funding was rejected by voters.

On Monday, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that an Aspen grocery bag surcharge was not a tax and thus did not fall under TABOR – the second successful challenge in recent months.

But what’s next? For the moment TABOR is here to stay. In order for it to be reversed completely – we as Coloradans would have vote to change it.

May 21

Colorado Supreme Court upholds Aspen bag fee

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When you look up the meaning of “clueless idiots” in the dictionary, it will redirect you to the Colorado Supreme Court.
SMH….

Colorado Supreme Court upholds Aspen bag fee

Author: Associated Press – May 21, 2018

A man carries multiple plastic bags. (ablokhin, istockphoto)

DENVER — The Colorado Supreme Court has upheld a 20-cent surcharge on grocery bags in the city of Aspen.

Monday’s ruling represents the second time in the last month that the court has rejected a constitutional challenge brought under the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights. TABOR requires voter approval for all taxes.

The government can raise fees without asking voters as long as the proceeds pay for a related service. Park fees, for instance, can pay for park maintenance.

The Aspen City Council approved the fee in 2011 and has been using the proceeds for a waste management program.

A conservative nonprofit group sued, arguing that the bag charge was actually a tax.

The Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the city’s waste reduction program was “reasonably” related to people using disposable grocery bags.

http://coloradopolitics.com/colorado-supreme-court-upholds-aspen-bag-fee/

May 12

Analysis: Colorado judges continue to erode taxpayer rights

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Analysis: Colorado judges continue to erode taxpayer rights

Colorado Supreme Courtroom in the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center

Nagel Photography | Shutterstock.com

Over the last 25 years, the Colorado courts have consistently legislated from the bench to weaken the state’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), two prominent advocacy groups committed to limited government assert. A recent Colorado Supreme Court ruling is one among many that “weakened taxpayer’s rights,” they argue.

Voters approved TABOR on Nov. 3, 1992, which then became part of the state constitution after the governor issued a proclamation on Jan. 14, 1993.

TABOR requires voter approval of most tax and debt increases. It also requires each government to reserve a percentage of non-debt-service spending (an amount that has fluctuated) for emergency reserves. It states that TABOR “shall reasonably restrain most of the growth of government. All provisions are self-executing and severable and supersede conflicting state constitutional, state statutory, charter, or other state or local provisions.” Continue reading →

May 04

The Growing Fight Over Forcing Nonprofits to Disclose Donors

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The Growing Fight Over Forcing Nonprofits to Disclose Donors

Rachel del Guidice /  / 

Lawmakers and conservatives in states across the country are growingly concerned that the push for donor disclosure will harm privacy rights. (Photo:JGI/Jamie Grill Blend Images/Newscom)

Conservatives in states across the country say that pushes to pass laws requiring nonprofits to report their donors’ private information threaten First Amendment rights.

“I’ve been contacted by dozens of constituents with concerns over their rights to privacy, and possible harassment by organizations or individuals, or even their employers, if their donation histories are made public,” Oklahoma state Rep. Mark Lepak, a Republican, told The Daily Signal in an email.

At least a dozen states have considered such donor disclosure legislation this year, but none has been successful, according to the State Policy Network, a nonprofit organization that supports independent think tanks around the nation.

“Since Jan. 1, 16 states have considered laws that would require causes and groups like The Heritage Foundation to report the names and addresses of their supporters to state government,” Tracie Sharp, president and CEO of the State Policy Network, said in an email to The Daily Signal.

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