Protect your Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights by voting NO on Proposition CC.
By placing this measure on the ballot, the legislature is trying to steal your money in an off-year election, when most voters aren’t paying attention. It does not matter if you register as a Democrat, unaffiliated, or Republican — You should vote NO on Proposition CC.
Colorado is unique because we have to vote on tax increases. We have approved tax increases for schools, libraries and local road maintenance all across this beautiful state when our elected officials make a compelling argument.
But we don’t give a blank check to our legislature because we know what will happen: out of control spending that results in California sized taxes.
I voted in the legislature to oppose placing this proposition on the ballot in 2019. My colleagues who approved this proposition argued that they know how to spend your money better than you do.
I argued that families deserve their tax refund and it will be used to invest in a college fund, or to pay down the mortgage, or maybe to just balance their budget every month.
Colorado has been blessed by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights since the voters approved it by a large margin in 1992. The voters agreed to curb excessive government spending in good years so Colorado government would not be overextended in lean years. Yes, the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, fondly known as TABOR, has been a blessing that keeps Colorado’s government spending in check.
The legislature proposes to rescind key parts of our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights with a false promise that the excess revenue will be earmarked for education and transportation. The messaging sounds, good but as we have seen in our transportation needs for years this earmarked revenue is small compared to the cuts to transportation funding that occur in other parts of the budget.
It’s all smoke and mirrors.
Coloradans realize no one oversees the efficiencies and the accountability of government better than individual voters. As President Reagan said, “Government is like a baby: an alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.”
Our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights reduces government’s appetite and forces our legislature to act responsibly.
State Rep. Perry Buck, R.-Windsor, has represented House District 49 since 2013.
