Colorado voters delivered a resounding defeat to Democratic Gov. Jared Polis and the\u2063 Democrat-led legislature by voting “no”\u2063 on \u2062Proposition HH,\u200d the Property Tax \u200cChanges and Revenue Change Measure.<\/p>\n

Colorado taxpayers are fortunate to have the Colorado Taxpayer’s \u200cBill of Rights\u2062 (TABOR), \u200ba state constitutional amendment that requires voter approval for certain tax increases. This means that excess revenue must be\u200b refunded to taxpayers if not approved. Last year, single filers in Colorado received\u2064 a refund of $750 per person, and this year \u2064it is \u200bexpected to be over $800. Despite Colorado’s deep-blue\u200c state status, TABOR\u2062 has prevented Democrats from imposing\u200b excessive tax hikes<\/a> like those seen in California.<\/p>\n

Colorado Democrats have been fighting against TABOR for years, \u2063using ballot measures and lawsuits in their attempts to eliminate it. Proposition HH was their latest effort to get rid of TABOR. Polis claimed that Prop HH was the\u200c only way to prevent devastating tax increases while \u2064preserving TABOR refunds, but this was a false claim.<\/p>\n

According to the Denver-based Independence\u2063 Institute, Prop HH would not reduce property taxes or control future growth in property taxes. Instead,\u200c it \u2064would be a back-door tax hike that takes away TABOR refunds, allowing the state to keep and spend billions of dollars over \u2062the next few decades. The Common Sense Institute estimated that Prop HH would result in a \u200dpersonal \u2063income loss of\u200c $425 per \u200chousehold and cost Colorado over\u2064 14,000 jobs.<\/p>\n

Despite their\u2063 deceptive campaign, Democrats\u2064 failed to fool voters into supporting Prop HH. Even left-leaning media outlets<\/a> like 9News called out the false claims \u200cmade by Polis and the Prop HH campaign. The “Yes on HH” \u2062group\u200b had to distance itself from Polis and make changes \u2063to its \u200bwebsite due to inaccuracies.<\/p>\n

Nonprofits Combat Misinformation<\/h2>\n
Nonprofit organizations such as the \u2063Independence Institute and\u2064 Advance Colorado played a crucial \u2062role in educating voters about the true intentions of Prop \u200cHH. Through \u200bvideos, op-eds, \u200dwebsites, and other means, these organizations\u2064 exposed \u200dthe tax \u2063increases and spending hidden behind\u200c Prop HH. Their efforts paid\u2062 off, with about 60 percent of Colorado voters\u2062 rejecting the\u200c measure.<\/p>\n
Two \u200dTakeaways<\/h2>\n
The defeat of\u2063 Prop HH highlights\u200b two important takeaways. Firstly, voters should be alarmed by the Democrats’ tactics of intentionally confusing voters through misleading ballot language. This is not unique\u2063 to Colorado and has been \u200bseen in \u200dother\u2064 states as well. Secondly, the defeat \u2064of Prop HH shows that conservative causes\u2064 can still succeed\u2063 even in blue states. By focusing resources and building\u200b broad coalitions, conservatives can win on issues that resonate with voters.<\/p>\n
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How \u2064did the defeat of Prop HH protect \u2063taxpayer rights in Colorado?<\/h2>\n
Ependent \u200cInstitute, Prop HH would have essentially\u2063 repealed TABOR by allowing the state to keep excess revenue without voter approval. It would have replaced the current refund system with a complicated scheme where the excess revenue\u200b would be split between transportation projects, education funding, and other government programs. This would have effectively bypassed the\u2064 taxpayer’s right to a refund and given the government free reign over\u200c how to spend the money.<\/p>\n
Fortunately,\u200d Colorado voters saw through the misleading rhetoric and rejected Prop HH by a wide margin. The defeat of\u200d this measure is a clear victory for fiscal responsibility and taxpayer protections. \u200cIt sends a strong message to politicians who want to increase taxes without\u200b voter \u200capproval: Coloradans\u200c value their right to have a \u2062say in how their money \u2063is spent.<\/p>\n
It is concerning, however, that despite \u2063the overwhelming rejection\u2062 of Prop HH, there are \u2062still politicians in Colorado who will continue\u200b to push for\u2063 tax \u2062increases. Earlier this year, Democratic\u2062 lawmakers proposed a bill that would have allowed them to raise\u2063 taxes without voter \u2064approval \u2064by reclassifying fees as\u2064 taxes. Fortunately, the bill failed, but it shows that there are ongoing efforts to undermine TABOR and increase the \u2063burden on Colorado taxpayers.<\/p>\n
Colorado’s success in maintaining TABOR and preventing excessive tax increases is worth celebrating. It is a testament to the importance of\u2062 fiscal responsibility and the power of the people to hold their government accountable. Other states \u200dshould take note and consider implementing similar taxpayer protections to ensure \u2062that their citizens’ hard-earned\u2063 money is not wasted on unnecessary and burdensome taxes.<\/p>\n
While there \u2064are certainly \u200dvalid arguments for \u2064increasing taxes in certain situations, it should \u200dalways \u2063be done with the consent of the voters. \u2062TABOR provides a necessary \u200dsafeguard against \u2063government overreach and ensures that taxpayers have a voice in decisions\u200d that directly impact their wallets.<\/p>\n
The defeat of Proposition HH in Colorado \u2063is\u200c a reminder \u2062that politicians should\u200c not disregard the\u200c will of the\u200d people. It highlights the importance of transparency, accountability, and respect for taxpayers. Colorado has set an\u2062 example for the rest of the country on\u200b how to protect taxpayers’ rights and maintain fiscal responsibility.<\/p>\n
As the \u200cfight\u2064 for taxpayer \u2062protections continues, it is important to stay informed and engaged. Colorado \u200btaxpayers must remain vigilant in holding their elected officials\u2062 accountable<\/a> and defending\u200b TABOR against any attempts to weaken or eliminate it. The defeat\u200d of Proposition HH is a testament \u2063to the power of the people and the strength of the taxpayer’s voice,\u2062 and it serves as a valuable reminder that our voices matter and can make a difference in\u200b shaping the \u2062future\u200b of\u2064 our state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Colorado voters delivered a decisive blow to Gov. Jared Polis and the Democrat-led legislature by rejecting Proposition HH, a measure seeking property tax changes and revenue increase. The state’s taxpayers benefit from the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), a constitutional amendment mandating voter consent for tax hikes. The defeat highlights the significance of voters’ approval in tax matters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536,"featured_media":2095958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2095957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2095957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2095957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2095957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2095958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2095957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2095957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2095957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}