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Tag: Tax policy

Colorado’s School Funding TABOR Measure Hides a Long-Term Legislative Slush Fund
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s School Funding TABOR Measure Hides a Long-Term Legislative Slush Fund

Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project The CPR article below details how SB26-135 (linked second below), the bill that, among other things, will put a question on the ballot allowing people to decide whether or not to let the state keep tax revenues above the TABOR cap, passed out of its first committee last week. I want to tee up an important thing to note about this bill by using a quote from one of the bill's sponsors Senator Kipp. “The Colorado Constitution requires voter approval to make any adjustments to TABOR, which is why lawmakers have to go to the ballot to advance the plan, according to Democratic Sen. Cathy Kipp, another main sponsor. ‘This bill does exactly what TABOR tells us to do,’ Kipp said. ‘We are going to the people of Colorado and saying, “...
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Framed as education, but tied to TABOR: Measure to keep surplus revenue advances
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Framed as education, but tied to TABOR: Measure to keep surplus revenue advances

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s fight over spending limits is back at the Capitol, and this time it could end up in front of voters. The Senate Finance Committee voted 6–3 on March 12 to advance SB26-135, teeing up a 2026 vote on whether the state can keep revenue above the TABOR cap instead of sending it back as refunds. It comes down to a basic question: should that extra revenue go back to taxpayers, or stay with the state? What follows is less straightforward. How the bill works The proposal does not rewrite TABOR itself. Instead, it puts that decision to voters—whether to allow the state to keep and spend money that would otherwise be refunded. If voters sign off, the state could retain revenue above the cap, up to an amount ...
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Open letter warns HB26-1065 expands unelected power and state control
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Open letter warns HB26-1065 expands unelected power and state control

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project An open email to the sponsors of HB26-1065 and the House Finance Committee Members In keeping with earlier posts, I have been watching affordable housing legislation this session. One of the bills that came up in an earlier post is HB26-1065. I link to that bill first below. Mild in the impact, especially compared with efforts that take away local control and further reinforce the NGO/nonprofit/government complex, this bill is still concerning in what it sets up. My open letter to the committee is copied below the link. If it’s helpful to you in advocating on this issue, please feel free to use any part or the whole. Before I get to my email (and testimony if I can make the hearing) howe...
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Colorado Homeowners Face Property Tax Shock After Temporary Relief Expires
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Homeowners Face Property Tax Shock After Temporary Relief Expires

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Mike Fitz, 76, who lives in Centennial in a single-family home he has owned since 2001, paid $3,876.98 in property taxes to Arapahoe County two years ago. Fitz just learned after checking the website of the Arapahoe County Assessor’s Office that his 2026 tax bill has shot up to $5,435.47, and that already factors in a discount of $750 for the senior homestead exemption. That translates to an increase of nearly 30% or more than $1,500 over two years for the Colorado resident on a fixed income from a combination of Social Security payments and a pension from Gates Rubber. Indeed, the new year is bringing sticker shock to many Colorado homeowners like Fitz — property taxes are rising and some will see increases ranging from ...
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Colorado Lawmakers Lean on Fees to Sidestep TABOR Tax Limits
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Lean on Fees to Sidestep TABOR Tax Limits

By: Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics More than 30 years after Colorado voters approved the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, a growing share of state spending now falls outside the voter-approved limits intended to restrain government growth. A new report shows that fee-funded “enterprises” — state-owned businesses exempt from TABOR’s revenue cap — have expanded dramatically, raising worries that lawmakers are increasingly relying on fees, rather than taxes, to fund government programs. At its core, TABOR limits the government’s ability to raise revenue. Political subdivisions must obtain voter approval for any tax increase, and it requires dollars above the TABOR limit to be refunded to residents. Numerous efforts have been made to repeal TABOR since its enactment. As r...
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How the Income Tax Betrayed the Founding and Broke the Constitution’s Promise of Liberty
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

How the Income Tax Betrayed the Founding and Broke the Constitution’s Promise of Liberty

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The American Founding was a deliberate rejection of concentrated power. The Founders built the United States around one core principle: government must be strong enough to secure liberty, but restrained enough to never become a master. An income tax, as it exists today, directly violates that design. It creates a federal government with a permanent claim on the labor of the citizen.  It funds unlimited expansion. It invites political favoritism. It weaponizes enforcement. It breaks the relationship between the people and the state that the Constitution was written to protect. Start with the historical fact that taxation was the spark of revolution.  The colonies did not revolt because they dislike...
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TABOR under pressure: How “think of the children” messaging is shaping Colorado’s education debate
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

TABOR under pressure: How “think of the children” messaging is shaping Colorado’s education debate

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Note the “won’t someone think of the children?!” framing I don’t think there are any specifics yet, but as of last week, there were plenty of rumors about the Democrats taking another stab at TABOR, this time in conjunction with their paymasters the teacher’s unions. If you read the Sun article linked first below, you’ll see one possible form this effort could take: some way or another, tying lifting the TABOR cap to directing money into education. Doing so would obviously enable supporters to frame opposition as being cold hearted: won’t someone please think of the children? I have discussed framing before, and the best way to counter it is to be aware of the framing, presenting counter...
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Title Board Clears Path For Ballot Measures To End Colorado’s Flat Income Tax
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Title Board Clears Path For Ballot Measures To End Colorado’s Flat Income Tax

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Proponents hoping to change Colorado’s income tax structure from a flat rate to graduated tiers — thereby raising taxes for some brackets — walked away from a Wednesday meeting with eight ballot measures approved by the title board. The coalition backing the graduated income tax change now must pick which one to move onto the petition process. It’s a big change from the group’s last visit in October, when the three-member Initiative Title Setting Review Board rejected two proposed measures for violating a rule that ballot measures may only contain a single subject. In December, the title board turned down a third proposal for the same reason. The title board is made up of representatives from the Attorney Genera...
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Polis Takes a Victory-Victim Lap in Final State of the State Address
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Polis Takes a Victory-Victim Lap in Final State of the State Address

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday took an 82-minute victory lap in his eighth — and final — State of the State address. He touted his work in the areas of early childhood development, education, health care, housing and public safety, pointing to major initiatives he has launched. He sought to paint a picture of a strong state under attack by the Trump administration. Indeed, he blamed much of Colorado’s woes on federal actions, notably funding cuts and a policy agenda from the White House that he described as “not the Colorado way.” To Polis, policies coming out of Washington, D.C. — uncertainty over tariffs, an immigration crackdown, letting a key health care subsidy expire — are standing in the way of Colorado’s progress. ...
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Colorado Democrats Push Plan That Threatens Future TABOR Refunds
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Push Plan That Threatens Future TABOR Refunds

State lawmakers will gavel in the 2026 legislative session Wednesday and the budget will once again dominate debate. By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado The general fund is $850 million in the hole and it could get worse as the Trump Administration threatens to freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to Colorado. Despite the dire fiscal outlook, Democratic leadership made it clear they won't cave to pressure from the federal government. "It is going to be a powerful session. We will be standing up to Washington," said Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie.By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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