Tag: taxpayer’s bill of rights
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EDITORIAL: Attempt to gut TABOR will go to voters
We’ll say it again: The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights — better known as TABOR — is the only safeguard the public has left against a legislature that spends like drunken sailors on leave. Wisely embedded into Colorado’s constitution by the state’s voters in 1992, the landmark restraint on government growth requires tax hikes to be…
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Appeals court rejects theory that existing tax revenue undermines need for new fees
Colorado’s second-highest court rejected a plaintiff’s claim last week that the tax revenue generated by an existing activity should prevent local governments from imposing new fees aimed at regulating the activity. The question stemmed from Colorado’s unique constraints on taxation under the 1992 Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. The constitutional amendment generally requires voter approval of…
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Senate committee moves forward with Colorado ballot measure to redirect TABOR refunds to schools
A Senate panel on Thursday voted along party lines to move forward with a bill that would ask voters for permission to eliminate Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights refunds and redirect those dollars to K-12 public education. The 6-3 vote in the Senate Finance Committee sends Senate Bill 135 to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further…
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Another TABOR fight: Democrats plan to redirect residents’ refunds to K-12 spending
Colorado voters could decide this fall whether billions of dollars that would otherwise be returned as refunds under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights should instead go to public schools under a ballot measure unveiled Thursday by Democrats. Supporters say the proposal would address chronic underfunding in K-12 education, while critics argue it takes money away…
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Colorado Title Board rejects challenges to graduated income tax ballot measure
The state body that determines whether a ballot measure contains a single subject has rejected challenges to eight versions of the push to change Colorado’s flat rate to a graduated income tax, thereby increasing the taxes on higher income earners. Opponents argued that the proposals wouldn’t just hike the taxes on higher-income individuals — they…
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TABOR Derangement Syndrome — Colorado’s ‘TDS’ — is real | Jon Caldara
In Colorado, TDS doesn’t stand for “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” It stands for “TABOR Derangement Syndrome.” You can spot its sufferers easily. They break into hives at the mere mention of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. In fact, they can’t even utter its full name, Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, only “TABOR” as if it’s a slur.…
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Colorado title board OKs ballot measures to eliminate flat income tax in favor of graduated brackets
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…
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TABOR author sues Colorado Springs, seeks removal of road tax extension question on November ballot
Douglas Bruce, the former Colorado state legislator who authored the state’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights amendment, is suing the city of Colorado Springs in a bid to remove a question from the November ballot that would authorize the 10-year extension of a dedicated sales tax for road maintenance. Bruce filed the three-page lawsuit against the city…
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Millions coming in Colorado Springs refunds due to excess TABOR revenue
Colorado Springs will refund millions of dollars in excess taxpayer money to residents through their utility bills this month. Officials said in a news release Friday the city will refund an estimated $4.7 million to residents. The refund will be credited to Colorado Springs’ Utilities residential and commercial customers on their March bill, coming out…
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El Paso County approves $491 million budget, residents to see some tax relief
The El Paso County commissioners approved a $491 million budget, while praising steps taken to help ease the property tax burden on residents. The county cut its property tax collection by 20% to stay within Taxpayer Bill of Rights limits, which will provide some relief to homeowners facing steep increases in taxes as the value…