Prop CC asks “may the state keep and spend all the revenue it annually collects after June 30, 2019 but is not currently allowed to keep and spend under Colorado law…”

Top Five Reasons to Vote “NO’ on Prop CC

1. Prop CC stomps all over the “consent of the governed.” If approved, Prop CC would take away your right to vote, FOREVER, on whether or not the state government can keep your state TABOR tax refund. More than that, it takes away the right and vote, FOREVER, of future generations to determine if government can keep their TABOR tax refunds. Individuals may agree to give up their own TABOR tax refund but it is immoral to take away the vote and voice of next generations on this question.

2. Colorado does not have a revenue challenge. Colorado has a priority challenge. Author and blogger, Rick Turnquist notes in his op-ed that after TABOR was voted into the Colorado Constitution by the people of Colorado, the state budget for FY 1993-94 passed by the General Assembly stood at $8.0 billion in appropriations funded by $8.0 billion in tax and other revenues. (Colorado is required to have balanced budgets every year). By FY 2019-20 the state budget had grown to $32.5 billion, a growth rate of 306%. Question? Has your income grown 306% since 1992? To put this into perspective, during the same time period Colorado’s population increased by about 75%, and the inflation rate over the period was 86%. Bottom line, even with the TABOR revenue caps in place, the Colorado budget grew almost double the rate of inflation plus population. Imagine if there were no bumper guards in place to control the growth of government.

3. The language in Prop CC is deceptive and dishonest. The first line of “Without increasing taxes” is disingenuous. The authors of the bill prevailed in using this language because it sounds good to everyday, hardworking people. Most people on all sides of the aisle do not like to pay more in taxes so “without raising taxes” sounds good. PBI’s propound that Colorado has collected the extra $ so you won’t notice if Colorado keeps the excess $. Look at it this way, you go to Starbucks and purchase a non-fat pumpkin spice latte and a cookie for $9.00. You give the barista a $10.00 bill and she doesn’t give you your $1.00 back. When you ask her for your change, she explains that she is keeping it and you won’t miss your $1.00. She continues to explain that Starbucks did not raise their prices since the latte and cookie still cost $9.00. In essence, even though Starbucks did not raise their prices, the cost of the latte and cookie increased because you did not get your “refund” back. If Prop CC passes, you and future generations will never again be asked if government can keep your TABOR tax refund $.

To be clear, your TABOR refund is different from the refund that may appear at the bottom of your Colorado tax refund. The state of Colorado gobbled up most of the tax refund that Coloradans would have gotten from the Trump tax cuts. The Trump tax cuts eliminated a number of deductions. This increased most folk’s taxable income number. Then the Trump tax cuts lowered tax rates which in practice lowered the income tax amount owed by most individuals to the Federal Government. But in calculating your Colorado state income taxes, the number at the bottom of your federal form is moved to the top of your Colorado form. Since the federal number is a larger number, most Coloradans state income tax bill increased and the state of Colorado immediately received a revenue bump. The 2019 state legislature could have passed legislation to remedy this increase in our tax bills, however they chose to do nothing.

4. Prop CC implies that all funds collected will help fund transportation and education. PBI’s know that transportation and education “sell” to the electorate because we think these are important and we are frustrated with the condition of our roads, bridges & congestion and want to give our kids the best education possible. However, Colorado Speaker of the House and sponsor of the Prop CC bill, K.C. Becker, has clarified on at least two occasions that no legislature can force or guarantee how a future legislature would spend revenues. It is disingenuous and dishonest to push the narrative that this money will be used for transportation and education. Just a question? Where has the marijuana $ gone?

5. No blank check for PBI’s-Politicians, Bureaucrats and Interested Parties! Plus, we must rein in PBI’s who use their power and control to pick winners and losers. Researcher Patti Kurgan notes in her op-ed that the State of Colorado has offered millions of $ in tax incentives/credits, grants, etc. to large corporations. These companies are successful companies. They do not need government money to maintain their success. I believe that the free and fair market should stand alone without government interference. It is better to cut taxes across the board without any preferential treatment for “chosen” companies which allows PBI’s to pick winners and losers.