Referendum C

Dear Friends:

Tuesday's election didn't go the way we hoped. The Bell strongly supported Proposition 103, and we are deeply disappointed it failed.

We thank those who worked so hard – especially Sen. Rollie Heath, whose leadership, passion and energy made believers out of so many. Thanks also to the Colorado Center on Law and Policy and Great Education Colorado, whose grass-roots campaign turned thousands of Coloradans into activists.

Almost three decades of constitutional amendments, legislative acts and economic ups and downs

To understand how Colorado finds itself in its current fiscal condition, it is helpful to look back at some critical decisions made by legislators and voters over the last 29 years, and at some of the economic and political factors that drove those decisions.

By Marianne Goodland
The Colorado Statesman

DENVER – On Tuesday, anti-tax groups and the Golden-based Independence Institute gathered at the state capitol to celebrate the end of Referendum C and what they called "the return of TABOR," the acronym for the Tax Payers Bill of Rights.

Jon Caldera and the Independence Institute staged a press conference this morning to "celebrate" the "end of Referendum C."

We couldn't disagree more, and we wanted to share our response:

Statement from the Bell Policy Center
concerning the "end of Referendum C"

Peter Marcus
Denver Daily News

Anti-tax advocates yesterday hailed the end of Referendum C, calling the timeout from TABOR rebates a "cowardly" move backed by voters five years ago and pushed by "spending bullies."

Fiscal conservatives gathered at the Capitol yesterday where they celebrated the end of Ref C, a 2005 voter-approved initiative that suspended a tax limit set by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights for five years to fund health care, public education and transportation projects. The timeout ended June 30th.

By Tim Hoover
The Denver Post

Stalwart supporters of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights gathered at the Capitol on Tuesday to cheer the expiration of Referendum C, the measure voters approved in 2005 that imposed a five-year timeout from taxpayer refunds under TABOR.

The merriment was led by Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute, which favors government spending limitations like TABOR. Other groups represented Tuesday included the Colorado Union of Taxpayers, Mothers Against Debt, Americans for Prosperity and the National Taxpayers Union.

Preliminary Analysis of Proposition 101

Proposition 101 ("Concerning limits on government charges") is intended to drastically reduce a wide range of state and local taxes and fees in Colorado.

Preliminary Analysis of Proposed Initiative 10

Proposed Initiative 10 ("Concerning limits on government charges") is intended to drastically reduce a wide range of state and local taxes and fees in Colorado.

The Denver Post
Feb. 3, 2009

By Tim Hoover

Amid the hand-wringing over cuts to vital programs this year, a small group of lawmakers has been quietly mulling over an effort to undo one of the key constraints on the state budget.

And they have found new hope in a legal opinion that says their target, known as the Arves-choug-Bird limit, is not protected by the state constitution.

Letter to the editor: With revenues falling, a hiring freeze and budgets being trimmed, we applaud The Post for saying that Colorado “needs to fix this fiscal mess.” Colorado’s budget has evolved into a tangle of often-conflicting laws, rules and formulas that result in cutbacks in some areas and mandated increases in others — and very little savings for the future. It defies common sense ...