ASHE IN AMERICA — OPINION
“…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
— Benjamin Franklin, 1789
The 2023 legislative session ended on May 8, with a dramatic showing of party unity that hasn’t occurred since 2003.
The conflict centered on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), and the rapid and deceptive manner with which the Senate Bill 23-303 and House Bill 23-1311 passed the General Assembly.
TABOR is not just a law; it’s a constitutional amendment added in 1992 – by Colorado voters. The purpose of TABOR is to limit the growth of government spending and, when government revenues are more than the allowable limits, return the excess to taxpayers.
The Colorado communists hate TABOR. In 2019, Polis and the legislature attempted to mislead voters into approving Proposition CC, a measure to allow the state to keep excess revenues instead of refunding them to taxpayers as constitutionally required.
Voters rejected Proposition CC; but the persistent commies are trying again. In the final two days of the session, the legislature passed two bills that, when combined, represent the death of TABOR.
It Sounds Nice On Paper
SB23-303 is entitled, “Reduce Property Taxes And Voter-approved Revenue Change.” The title is hilarious considering that the proposal will forever end taxpayer refunds under TABOR and, worse, deliver the largest ever property tax increase for Colorado taxpayers. (Spoiler: The largest ever increase is coming regardless, so steel yourself if you own property.)
HB23-1311 is entitled, “Identical Temporary TABOR Refund.” The bill is written in a way that deceives voters into believing its passage strengthens TABOR. Proponents will likely use the bill’s deceptive language to persuade voters when the two measures’ Proposition HH hits the ballot in November.
Proposition HH is well summarized by Independence Institute TV (IITV) in a May 5 YouTube report:
“The proposal manipulates the refund formula over time, causing taxpayers to give up billions of dollars from their refunds. It allows the legislature to continue collecting extra tax revenue without voter approval, potentially accumulating over $400 billion over the next three decades. The plan offers minimal relief by reducing the assessment rate by less than 1%, but it comes at the cost of giving up taxpayer refunds forever.”
Why’d They Wait To The Last Minute?
If you require more evidence that Colorado Democrats are pulling a fast one, consider the proposal’s expedited journey under the dome. Rumored for months, the proposal was only introduced in the final week of session. SB23-303 was introduced on May 1, 2023, and HB23-1311 was introduced on May 6. The legislative session ended May 8.
I reached out to Representative Ken DeGraff for comment, who told me, “Time was not afforded to understand it because they don’t want you to understand it.”
SB23-303 passed the Senate along party lines but, in the House, the Democrat bill sponsors sparked outrage with uncommon third reading amendment. Livid Republicans alleged the amendment was an attempt to buy votes and contended that third reading amendments were only afforded to Democrats. They also maintain that the third reading circus was proof that the bill was not ready for a vote.
Instead of voting, all 19 House Republicans walked out of the chamber. The bill passed 43-0. The drama of a legislative walkout hasn’t happened since 2003, when Senate Democrats, who were in the minority, refused to vote on a redistricting bill.
DeGraff explained, “HB23-1311 is a bribe to tempt about 60% of the population into voting to take money from the other 40% via a flat-rate TABOR refund,” which in linking the bill to SB23-303 will ultimately, “make TABOR irrelevant through Proposition HH.”
From IITV, “The property tax plan is not a heroic rescue but rather extortion, offering a bad solution to a problem they created.”
According to House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, the proposal is a “scheme that the governor waited until the last minutes of session to pull.”
DeGraff was more direct, “When deliberation is considered odious to a deliberative legislative system, the system is broken. The Republican caucus chose to no longer participate in the charade, and to make it known that the legislature has become a farce.”
Maddening. But not surprising.
In Colorado, nothing is certain but death, taxes, and the government’s ongoing attempts to exterminate our rights.
Ashe Epp is a writer and election integrity activist. Read her work at asheinamerica.com and follow her on Telegram and other socials @asheinamerica.