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AGNC: Democrats’ TABOR lawsuit a “legislative betrayal” against Colorado taxpayers
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

AGNC: Democrats’ TABOR lawsuit a “legislative betrayal” against Colorado taxpayers

By Tori Ganahl | Rocky Mountain Voice Democrats in the Colorado legislature are pushing forward with a plan that would fundamentally alter the state's tax system—starting with a lawsuit aimed at dismantling the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR). At the heart of this effort is House Joint Resolution 25-1023, which directs the General Assembly’s Committee on Legal Services to file a lawsuit in state court challenging the constitutionality of TABOR.  Their argument? That allowing voters to decide on tax increases and imposing limits on government spending violates the “republican form of government” guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution​. Simply put: Colorado Democrats are claiming that the very act of asking taxpayers for permission to raise taxes is unconstitutional. This ...
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Gaines: Colorado Democrats blew the budget and now they want your TABOR refunds
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Colorado Accountability Project, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Gaines: Colorado Democrats blew the budget and now they want your TABOR refunds

By Cory Gaines | Colorado Accountability Project Colorado Democrats made a hash of the state's finances, but they want YOU to pay to fix it. In this post I want to flesh out some of the many assaults on TABOR and fiscal responsibility the Democrats are cooking up for this legislative session. The previous two posts were all about financial problems in this state. Problems that arose from mismanagement of state rules and money. Problems that arose from out of control spending. Problems that arose from politicians not being willing to do what families are forced to do every single day: adjust their spending to their income and choose among priorities. In this final post of the series, I want to outline some of the ways in which Colorado Democrats--the party that has completely ru...
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Democrats launch legal assault on TABOR: Will the courts undo the will of Colorado voters?
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Democrats launch legal assault on TABOR: Will the courts undo the will of Colorado voters?

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette In 2011, a coalition of 33 individuals and groups, including current and former lawmakers, county commission and other elected officials and school districts, sued the state of Colorado, challenging the constitutionality of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. A decade later, the lawsuit was dismissed on a technicality: the lawsuit, the federal courts indicated, had the wrong plaintiffs. A state Democratic lawmaker who was part of the legal team in Kerr v. Hickenlooper (later Kerr v. Polis) is now sponsoring a resolution to try again, but with some important differences. Rep. Sean Camacho, D-Denver, sponsored House Joint Resolution 1023, which would require the General Assembly to sue over TABOR's constitutionality in state district court. The...
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Ballooning Medicaid costs, TABOR limits expose flaws in Colorado’s big government spending spree
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Ballooning Medicaid costs, TABOR limits expose flaws in Colorado’s big government spending spree

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board After years of overreach and unchecked government growth, Colorado lawmakers are now scrambling to plug a $1.2 billion hole in the state budget — a crisis largely of their own making.  Colorado budget writers voted Wednesday night to finalize a 2025–26 budget plan that slashes transportation funding, eliminates programs, and kicks key decisions down the road — all while Medicaid spending surges out of control. Despite the so-called “cuts,” the budget still grows to over $16 billion. But massive increases in Medicaid — particularly long-term care for seniors and the disabled — are eating up the budget at an unsustainable pace. Democrat lawmakers admit the problem is only getting worse. “Next year, I see our fiscal challenges compounding,...
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Hillman: Fiscal tailgating put Colorado in the ditch
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Approved, Commentary, denvergazette.com, State

Hillman: Fiscal tailgating put Colorado in the ditch

By Mark Hillman | Denver Gazette 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 th...
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Rep. Gonzalez: Colorado doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Rep. Gonzalez: Colorado doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem

By Rep. Ryan Gonzalez | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the state of Colorado, we are facing over a $1.2 BILLION dollar shortfall. As we are now halfway through the 2025 legislative session, we have seen little progress from the lawmaking majority on making hard and significant cuts to our budget.  Rather than admit the improper allocation of taxpayer dollars, the majority uses this predicament to go after and attack our Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).  Our state budget this year is over 43 BILLION. In the last 6 years they have gone from a budget surplus to a very progressive spending spree at the expense of taxpayers.  More offices, tax credits, and programs that require funding and eat away at TABOR refunds have been – and continue to be –  the...
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Democrats target TABOR as budget crisis exposes reckless spending
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Democrats target TABOR as budget crisis exposes reckless spending

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff As Colorado faces a $1.2 billion budget deficit, state lawmakers are once again debating the role of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) in shaping the state’s financial future. With deep cuts expected for education, health care and social services, some Democratic legislators are raising concerns over TABOR’s limits on government spending. Yet Republicans argue that the deficit is a result of overspending rather than shortfalls in revenue. Passed by voters in 1992, TABOR restricts government spending growth to population increases, plus inflation, and requires that any surplus revenue be refunded to taxpayers.  Supporters argue that these restrictions prevent excessive government expansion, while critics say the formula is too rigid, making it...
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Why lawmakers are afraid 24k Coloradans may disappear in the next budget year, and with them $77M
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Why lawmakers are afraid 24k Coloradans may disappear in the next budget year, and with them $77M

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun Nearly 24,000 Coloradans are set to disappear from the state’s population this year — at least as far as the state budget is concerned. It’s no mere illusion. The vanishing act will have real consequences for public services, to the tune of $77 million in required cuts, if lawmakers don’t take action to prevent it. The issue dates all the way back to when the legislature first implemented the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in 1993, the year after voters added it to the state constitution. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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TABOR refund amounts announced for 2025, based on income
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local, State

TABOR refund amounts announced for 2025, based on income

By Heather Willard | FOX31 Just days after announcing there would be TABOR refunds for Colorado residents in 2025, the state has announced how much money each Coloradan household can expect to receive. TABOR, or the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, is an amendment to the state constitution that limits how much revenue Colorado governments can retain and requires that Colorado residents vote to approve any tax increases. The overages are refunded to Colorado taxpayers. In an audit released on Oct. 14, the Colorado Office of the State Auditor said the state has $1.4 billion in excess revenue, which translates into TABOR refunds. This is a fair bit lower than what was collected during the 2023 tax year when the state reported it was returning some $3.28 billion to Colorado t...
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In expected windfall, Colorado owes taxpayers $1.7 billion in TABOR refunds
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

In expected windfall, Colorado owes taxpayers $1.7 billion in TABOR refunds

By Luige Del Puerto | Colorado Politics, via The Gazette The Colorado state government owes taxpayers a total of $1.7 billion in refunds mandated under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.  The state collected roughly $1.4 billion more in revenue during the 2024 Fiscal Year than allowed under TABOR, according to a state audit. The state already has roughly $290 million in outstanding TABOR refund liability at the beginning of the fiscal year, bringing the total refund amount to about $1.66 billion. Passed by voters in 1992, TABOR limits the annual growth in revenue to the inflation rate, plus population change. Any amount raised above the limit must be returned to taxpayers. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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