As an Arapahoe County resident, I’ll be voting no on Ballot Issue 1A, a measure to permanently remove taxpayer protections in place under Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR. Let me explain.
TABOR is a constitutional amendment that, among other things, limits the growth of local government spending to a reasonable annual rate based on inflation and local economic growth. Overcollected revenue must be returned to taxpayers unless voters give permission to exceed those limits. Issue 1A would allow the county government to keep and spend revenue that would otherwise be refunded in perpetuity. County officials wont say it, but that amounts to a tax hike.
It’s how big government advocates try to spin the ability to tax and spend without restrictions. It’s never a good idea, but especially now given the state of our state and nation’s economy.
Keeping government in check
Since the late 1990s, Colorado’s numerous levels of government have continued to ask for more money that would supposedly make schools better, roads smoother and/or improve the quality of life – and none of them have ever lived up to expectations or solved the problems. Where did all the marijuana tax money go that was going to make roads and schools better? Most of the highways I drive on are like an obstacle course of bumps and potholes.
I realize that inflation has hit both the public and private sectors hard, and the cost of road construction and maintenance (along with everything else) has increased quite a bit. And there are plenty of projects and programs that could use additional funds. But Colorado’s state and local governments have received plenty of money from taxpayers over the years, and it never seems to be enough.
I’m done with city and county governments finding new and creative ways to extract money from me. Whether they’re sales taxes, special district taxes or all the dozens of “not officially taxes” known as fees on my car registration bill. I’ve had it with the continued legalized theft of my money for all these supposedly worthy causes.
That’s why I’m voting no on this ballot issue, and I’ll give more reasons why.
To a large extent, TABOR is why Colorado has remained more prosperous than other states without this taxpayer protection (like California, New York and Illinois). When you put a fiscal leash on government, households and businesses have more money to spend and invest. Douglas Bruce, the author of TABOR, was a limited-government visionary for getting this constitutional amendment on the ballot and approved by voters. He should be praised for a wise idea that put restrictions on government excess.
Greedy bureaucrats, elected officials and activists all hate TABOR restrictions. That’s why they don’t like Mr. Bruce and always use the term “de-Brucing” as a pejorative when they want to get rid of them. If anything, more governments should be “re-Bruced” to keep their taxation and spending in check – so us Coloradans can keep more of our hard-earned money.
Government spending is not an “investment,” and when a city or county government taxes and spends too much, that makes it less affordable for folks to live there. That’s why we’ve seen the movement of folks from higher-taxed blue states to Colorado over the last decade. And now, we’re starting to see an exodus of folks from blue Colorado to lower-tax places with a better quality of life.
Blood from a turnip
Because of the massive levels of public and private debt that needs to be dealt with, we’re staring down the barrel of a protracted economic recession (or worse). It will take at least several years (and maybe a decade or more) before we’ll start to see real economic growth again. When Colorado governments ask for the next tax increase in 2025 and beyond, it’ll be the equivalent of trying to get blood from a turnip in a stagnant economy.
Looking at the Arapahoe County budget, there’s over 2,600 full-time county employees. I realize it’s one of the largest counties in Colorado, but just like any other large organization facing fiscal challenges, commissioners will have to make some hard choices. There should be an operational audit of the county’s finances and/or a citizens’ review committee to justify why certain programs and line items are truly needed.
And we’re at a point where Colorado governments can’t continue to keep programs at current funding levels. Churches, charities and other private sector groups will have to take up the slack. And some folks will have to find lower-cost ways to solve problems on their own.
It’s obvious that throwing more money at government programs don’t make them more efficient or effective. We need to start a discussion on the size, scope and involvement of all levels government in our everyday lives. The federal government is over $35 trillion in debt, and the state of Colorado over $81 billion. These levels of borrowing and spending cannot continue.
We can either make financial adjustments and cuts now or later, and pain from these cuts is unavoidable. But it’ll be less if we make the tougher decisions now instead of later.
Brian Ochsner is an Arapahoe County resident and marketing professional who follows trends in agriculture, economics and investment markets.