It seemed like such a good idea at the time: Let voters decide tax hikes since it seemed lawmakers just couldn’t say ‘no.’
Of course the entire scheme behind the misleading Taxpayer Bill of Rights, dubbed TABOR, was built on lies and deceptions.
The anti-tax state constitutional amendment was the brainchild of Colorado Springs oddity Douglas Bruce. Bruce played to growing anti-government sentiment back in the early 1990s, persuading people that state government spending and taxes were out of control, and the only hope would be to take away the power of the purse from state and local officials. Stung by growing federal spending, confused and misled state voters agreed, not understanding that Colorado then had one of the lowest accumulative tax burdens in the country. Colorado has never been a spendthrift state.
But in 1992, Colorado voters, hearing that there was only one way to slow the draw on their paychecks, agreed to the nonsense of TABOR.
If the measure only required voter approval for tax hikes, things wouldn’t be so bad.
But the convoluted and labyrinthine measure does so much more. It not only caps taxes, but it caps spending. Part of the amendment sets government services at a baseline, so that when budgets decrease in lean tax years, a new, lower baseline is set, creating the dreaded, so-called ratchet-down effect.
The real effect of the measure has been to diminish Colorado schools and roads. Despite having one of the healthiest economies in the country, the state can’t afford to properly maintain or build new roads, run schools or keep colleges competitive and affordable.
The insult to injury of TABOR is back: Colorado must now refund hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes to state residents, despite the widespread public needs. Part of the measure requires “refunds” when state revenues grow and exceed a bizarre formula involving the rate of inflation and population growth. The refunds at this point will probably be far less than $20 for the average taxpayer.
This week, buried in a flurry of epic Supreme Court rulings, the high court also forced the local 10th Circuit Court of appeals to take another look at a lawsuit filed by state legislators in regards to TABOR. The argument is that the state government charges lawmakers with taxation as representatives of a republic, and TABOR illegally prohibits that.
We agree. If a lawmaker wants to spend more than taxpayers want, out the lawmaker. Instead, Colorado voters have created a system that doesn’t allow them to steer the government along a winding and treacherous economic road. It’s long been a disaster in the making.
After more than 20 years of TABOR, Colorado’s ranking among taxation has changed little. What has changed is that money desperately needed for state programs hasn’t been raised, so the growing debt is not the state budget, but in the state’s roads, schools and colleges.
It could well be that the courts finally enforce the laws of republican government in Colorado and end the mess that TABOR has created. But fans of cumbersome taxation could stave this controversy themselves by repealing the current version of TABOR with one that simply requires voter approval for some or all tax hikes.
It would be the best advice to restore Colorado government to the one that’s made the state so successful and enviable, but at the very least, untie the hands of every city, county and school district. Allow the state to avoid becoming marginal at best or risking disaster we can’t stop.
……next few days your life success days…aurorasentinel….. < Find Here
TABOR has been great … keep bringing on the rebates. In fact, let’s have a vote to lower our taxes even more. I don’t mind one bit about Colorado becoming “marginalized” … let the roads return to gravel for all I care.
Great idea. Throw in a few air heads like Joe to make it great!
xcxcx
If taxation has changed little, then what are all these line items referred to as fees instead of taxes? Any sort of utility statement or vehicle registration or endless other consumption-based expenses are now so much more complicated, while plain old wealth and non-employment income does seem to enjoy lowered taxation.
Whole lot of us wanted to follow Perry advice and out Obama. But he is still there, and spent 8 Trillion dollars and will add 3 more in next 2 years. Problem with getting them out, is they leave such a debt behind, that next 2 or 3 administrations are just trying to right the ship, and get it back on course. I came back to Colorado, to my home in time to be here for first 2-3 times before TABOR was approved. And for a time it worked, but Democrats , with tax and spend policies, did figure out way to bypass, and keep on spending. Before getting too enthused about good times, when TABOIR is gone, everyone might want to check the State Spending levels. Every year since it started, the state has spent more, even in years when population was not growing that much. Now with all the folks moving here, for Pot, Gambling, and other Schemes, is not the time to take the brakes (as rusty as it is) off, and let Democrats go back to the days of Romer and before. Too many here now on government dole, and retirees are dying off, so their pensions and savings cannot be taken as easily. Don’t think all those extra fees, charges, and co-pays will disappear, ever again.
Ah yes! The good old days of “Romer and before”! All those “folks” who moved here for pot, gambling and “other schemes”. Terrible I say simply terrible! Kick em out and send TABOR with them.
Correct me if I’m wrong. I believe state government has expenses that rise with inflation, right? But then some believe government should run on fumes and always whine about welfare and taxes. Same old same old.
Maybe you need to check the Long Bill a bit closer. State legislators are spending funds for stuff not needed by all of Colorado, and writing more laws, without removing the conflicting ones, or writing those that conflict with historical ones that are needed. Just as city police officer told Aurora council years ago, the statute you are about to vote on, cannot be enforced. They went ahead and passed it. And guess what, they could not enforce it. Had to do with parking campers – motor homes on the street. Ran afoul of Colorado and Federal transportation laws. Well that still goes on down at State Capitol too, with other laws.
What a biased, economically ignorant hate piece!
Why pat! If you say so!
Apparently the editors here were asleep between 1992 and 2003, when TABOR allowed their precious government to grow 69% while returning nearly $7B to taxpayers in the biggest boom the state had seen since the silver rush. But that’s not good enough for these liars and their garbage article…
That and these editors are woefully ignorant of Colorado’s fiscal restraint in that it extends beyond TABOR, including Gallagher and Aveschoug-Byrd. But you don’t hear them carping on about those at all, because it doesn’t suit their agenda, which is more to bash TABOR and Bruce than it is to understand how the state government is properly restrained from spending the taxpayer’s dollars like drunken sailors.
Tabor is a great thing. The reason it is great is because lawmakers don’t get ousted until they have done their damage. This is a perfect solution for that. All the lawmakers have to do is persuade the voters to oust TABOR. But notice they can’t do it so they resort to the dark basements of the courts, trolling for judges who will let them pay themselves huge pensions.
This moronic editor seems to have forgotten that the Colorado VOTERS WANT TABOR.