A Letter to the Editor
Today, I attended a meeting and was enlightened on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
Taxpayer: that’s you and me! We have to pay taxes in order to live in community where everyone benefits. This is the American Way! I get it! I like it!
Bill of Rights: Passed in 1992 TABOR (the Taxpayer Bill of Rights) accomplished two major objectives. It was created as an oversight to balance the budget and keep the control in the voter’s hands and not the Governor. After meeting our commitments, a refund was sent to us. This was an excellent way to keep the control in our hands, the people.
Don’t be fooled when in the fall of 2022, the Governor announced he was sending all of us a check out of “the goodness of his heart.” That $720 check was not because of the Governor but because of the bill that was passed called the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
Today the Governor is exerting his desire for control and power in attempting to eliminate the Taxpayer Bill of Rights as we know it today. Proposition HH is a tax relief plan on the November Ballot to lower property tax rates for the next ten years. It would eliminate the current six-tier TABOR refund mechanism and establish a flat refund beginning in tax year 2023 for all eligible taxpayers. Sounds good, right? Read the fine print!
Currently, the state of Colorado is in dire straits! Our legislative body is dominated by one party. The Governor is developing a reputation with scare tactics to control his Democratic Legislators. Thank you to those Democratic leaders who defied the recent Land Use Bill and followed their own conscience and voted the Bill down. They did the right thing and they should be commended for that. No legislative body should be dominated by one party. This is very unhealthy! Is there room for discussion, compromise and resolution that benefits everyone? No! I want to live in a society that encourages, supports and respects all interest and viewpoints. Our Legislature is a powerful entity and should represent all aspects of a community. Too much power and control is dangerous in any society.
I encourage you to research Proposition HH and vote this “power play” down. More importantly, if the spirit leads you, I encourage you to get involved. Let’s together, bring balance, integrity and common sense back to our Government.
Kathy Turley
Former ProTem & City Councilwoman, Centennial