TAXES and TABOR in Coloradical
Colorado is a fascinating state for many reasons. How it implements its taxes is amongst those fascinations. For instance, each county has its own sales tax rate. What fucking masochist came up with that shit??
There’s also a well-intentioned law on the books called TABOR. TABOR,
Fine in theory, because of course our inner Libertarian knows that taxation is left; however, call me spendthrift, but I like roads! Love them! Love clear, pot-hole free roads and highways on which to travel this gorgeous state.
Colorado Dems are using sly work-arounds to get projects funded by using “fees”. It’s like any other state pretending it’s not raising taxes, but then the cost of, say, registering your car goes up.
The Year That Democrats Left TABOR Behind: How Billions In New Spending Can Cut Through Colorado’s Conservative Firewall, By Andrew Kenney via CPR.org.
Over the last year, Democrats have embraced fees and court rulings to pay for their biggest priorities. Billions in new money for transportation will come from fees on gas and Uber rides. A billion-dollar paid family leave program was approved at the ballot after campaigners embraced a new legal playbook. Businesses and wealthier people will pay more in taxes. Hundreds of millions more will go to local school districts as property taxes are nudged upward.
“Crazy idea — to actually have priorities, and actually pay for them, rather than just squeeze out other things in the budget,” said Carol Hedges, an advocate for progressive tax reform with the Colorado Fiscal Institute.
Political observers have watched with amazement as Democrats have wholeheartedly embraced new ways to raise money. It adds up, in all, to more than $20 billion over the next decade for various state services and programs — some, but not all, enacted without direct voter approval.
Republican leaders say that the financial restrictions of TABOR, which have sometimes seemed like a permanent political reality and a way to contain Democratic power, are unraveling.
“I think TABOR’s hanging on by a thread — but it’s a pretty big thread,” said Michael Fields, a conservative organizer who has fought to place new limits on government spending.
But even as Democrats celebrate these landmark victories, some on the left are worried that parts of this new approach are fundamentally flawed — and their opponents on the right hope that embracing it will be a fatal mistake.
Oddly, this article mentions nothing about the weed/cannabis/marijuana industry. I wonder why that is - perhaps those monies are caught up by restrictions from TABOR.
I’m no economist, just a regular citizen over here. But why keep billions of dollars unspent in some state-regulated account when the roads are shit, Colorado’s school system is shit, and public transportation is shit? The light rail system is a joke; any train/tram/trolley that stops every half mile is a bus!
Really interesting to see Colorado’s Dems work with what they’ve got to get some things done.
