Tax, spending and debt limits in Colorado’s 1876 constitution
Politicians who whine about the restrictions in TABOR should read the original Colorado Constitution to learn how real tax limitation works.
The 2025 Regular Session Data
Below are multiple interactive charts that display data collected from Colorado General Assembly fiscal reports from the 2025 regular legislative session. The state legislature is beyond the midpoint of the 120-day regular session, which started in January and ends in May. The data below presents the FTE/fiscal impact of every proposed legislation introduced in the […]
Join the TABOR offensive!
The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights is universally despised, neigh, deplored by every tax-happy progressive around the country. Ever wonder why it’s like sunlight to a vampire to them, and why they’ve weakened it in court-ruling after court-ruling for 25 years? Then please join us on Monday, April 23, in Colorado Springs for our first stop […]
Rob’s New Book on the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR)
House Bill 1187: Why should state government get to spend more just because people work more?
Increasing state spending as population grows assumes that larger populations require more government services. This may not always be the case, but it at least refrains from taxing people simply because they work harder.
New Video on TABOR—the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights
Fred Holden (below) and Rob Natelson, both Senior Fellows at the Independence Institute, talk about the famous Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in this interview.
Two Decades of Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR)
Over two decades have passed since Colorado voters adopted The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in 1992. TABOR allows government spending to grow each year at the rate of inflation-plus-population. Government can increase faster whenever voters consent. Likewise, tax rates can be increased whenever voters consent. This Issue Paper analyzes TABOR’s effect on state government spending and taxes by examining three decades: The 1983-92 pre-TABOR decade; the first decade of TABOR, 1993-2002; and the second decade, 2003-12. The final decade included the largest tax increase in Colorado history, enacted as Referendum C in 2005. Decade-2 was also marked by increasing efforts to evade TABOR by defining nearly 60% of the state budget as “exempt” from TABOR.
Judge Habas Pursuan
(May 2008.) Author: DISTRICT COURT, CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER COLORADO PDF of full Paper Scribd version of full Paper THIS MATTER comes before the Court for a court trial, commencing on May 5, 2008. The Court took testimony, received exhibits, and heard argument from all parties. The evidence was closed, subject to this Court’s […]
TABOR Benefits Colorado’s Citizens: A response to misleading Video
In 2005 the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released a video to help defeat proposed measures like Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) in other states. Voters in several states are considering such measures in 2006, including Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, and Oregon. The CBPP video’s message is that TABOR devastates the economy and the ability of government to fund schools, roads and health care. By understanding the truth, however, viewers will note that they have nothing to fear from passing their own TABOR. Unfortunately, they may not recognize the CBPP video for the highly misleading propaganda piece that it is.
TABOR Comparison Data and Projections: Appendices A, B, C, D
APPENDIX A: PDF of full Appendix A Scribd version of full Appendix A State of Colorado Growth Comparison, Two Ten-Year Periods: Pre-TABOR (1983-1992) and TABOR (1993-2002), in Employment (All, Government, Non-Government); TOTAL STATE Revenues and State Outlays; Per-Capita Personal Income, Revenues & outlays; Gross State Product, Unemployment, population and Inflation. APPENDIX B PDF of full […]
