By Michael Fields
In a late night vote on Tuesday, April 8, the House Finance Committee passed HJR25-1023, the resolution to bring a lawsuit against TABOR in a 7-6 vote. This lawsuit would use taxpayer dollars on both sides, requiring the state to defend TABOR while paying for the legislature to attack the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in court. An amendment to prohibit the use of taxpayer funds for the lawsuit and require the legislature to accept donations instead failed.
“Seventy percent of Coloradans support our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights and want to keep our legislature’s spending in check. Voting to strip rights away from taxpayers is tone deaf – especially when politicians want to use the people’s money to sue the people. If the legislature continues to push this lawsuit forward, they will lose in court once again – just like a similar case did in 2021. The people always have a right to place a check on government,” said Kristi Burton Brown, Executive Vice President of Advance Colorado.
Colorado’s state budget rose to just under $43 billion in 2024, an 8% increase over the previous fiscal year. This brings the state’s budget to an increase of over $18 billion in the last ten years. This proves that state government is receiving a healthy revenue increase even with the pro-taxpayer TABOR restrictions on revenue growth in place.
Thanks to TABOR, Colorado’s income tax burden has not ballooned as badly as it has in other states. And Colorado taxpayers still receive refunds when revenue exceeds allowable limits.
Michael Fields is the President of the Advance Colorado Institute.