On the same Election Day that voters in Texas approved a new taxpayer safeguard in the Lone Star State, Colorado residents voted to protect their state’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, the nation’s strongest taxpayer safeguard.
The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), approved by Colorado voters in 1992, does two things: 1) It requires voter approval for all state tax hikes, and 2) It caps state spending at the rate of population growth plus inflation. Revenue collected in excess of that spending cap must be returned to Colorado taxpayers.
Proposition CC, which was referred to the November 2019 ballot earlier this year by the Democrat-controlled Colorado Legislature and Governor Jared Polis (D), would have permanently ended taxpayer refunds due in accordance with TABOR. Proposition CC was defeated today with nearly 56% of voters rejecting the ballot measure, which would’ve gutted TABOR forever and led to a significantly higher state tax burden in Colorado’s future.
“Presidential contenders and others running for office should pay attention to what happened in Colorado tonight,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Every Democrat running president has promised massive tax increases if they win next year. A battleground state that recently elected a progressive-run state government just voted to uphold the nation’s strongest taxpayer protection measure. This indicates that a plan to run on a platform chalk full of huge tax hikes is not the wisest approach for 2020 hopefuls to take.”