Colorado lawmakers send bad bills to Jared Polis for his rubber stamp
Colorado lawmakers are patting themselves on the back for passing a bill aimed at providing relief from skyrocketing property taxes. But in typical Democratic fashion, this solution only exacerbates the problem and ignores the root cause of the issue.
Senate Bill 1, which passed with only Democratic support, would exempt $50,000 from residential and multi-family properties' tax liability calculation and reduce the assessment rate. While it may sound like a good idea on paper, the bill fails to address the underlying issue of Colorado's high property taxes and simply shifts the burden to other areas.
This bill is being funded with $200 million from the general fund, money that was supposed to be used for other important services.
The bill, which was only supposed to deal with soaring property taxes, also includes funding for schools, fire districts, and emergency services, further diluting the intended purpose of the general fund.
Local governments, who opposed a similar measure on the ballot, are also expressing concerns about this bill. They fear that once again, the state is overstepping its bounds and failing to work with them on long-term solutions. And with only two representatives from counties on the task force created to address property tax solutions, it's clear that rural Colorado will once again be ignored by the Democratic majority.
“Why would ever keep our citizens from their money,” House Minority Leader Mike Lynch asked from the well?
Republicans are already speaking out against this bill, citing concerns that the $200 million being used for tax relief actually comes from a TABOR refund mechanism attached to legislation from last year. The move to use TABOR refunds to fix the legislature property tax mess was just resoundingly thrashed by voters with the failure of Proposition HH.
But Democrats, like Rep. Mike Weissman, are trying to downplay these concerns, claiming that the money comes from the general fund and not TABOR surplus money – even though the language in the bill clearly states that it comes directly from TABOR.
Despite Democratic claims that this is the best property tax relief available, the reality is that it only offers relief to those with lower value homes. And even then, the effects are minimal.
For example, an $800,000 home will see a reduction of only $1,472 in property taxes. Meanwhile, a $1.2 million home will see a reduction of $2,361 – hardly enough to make a difference for hardworking middle-class families.
“This type of setup is anything but transparent, and it’s anything but accountable to the people who fund it,” said Rep. Lisa Frizell (HD45.)
But the biggest concern is that this bill completely ignores the need for long-term solutions for property tax reform.
Instead, the Democrat’s bill relies on only band-aid solutions that do not address the root of the problem – evaluation. As Scott Wasserman of the Bell Policy Center stated, the state needs better tools or should stay out of the game entirely.
To add insult to injury, the Senate also passed two other bills and sent them to Governor Polis, who will surely give his rubber stamp of approval. One bill expands a loan program for property taxes, and the other would double the Earned Income Tax Credit for low- to moderate-income individuals and families.
While both may seem like helpful measures, neither do anything to address the real issue of property tax reform.
To make matters worse, the Democrats are also pushing through an emergency rental assistance program, taking even more money from the general fund and using it for a completely different purpose. Again, renters obviously don’t pay property taxes so how did they even get into this mix?
READ MORE:
COLORADO COULD EXPAND LOW-INCOME TAX CREDIT WHILE SHRINKING TABOR REFUNDS
SENATE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS SQUABBLE OVER PUBLIC ACCESS TO BILLS
DEMOCRAT SPEAKER LOSES CONTROL OF THE HOUSE TO PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS
In the end, this special session called by Governor Polis to address property tax reform has been a complete failure.
Instead of real solutions, we are left with a mish-mash of bills that ignore the real issues and only serve to further confuse and burden Coloradans. It's time for the Democrats to stop playing political games and start working on real solutions that benefit all Colorado homeowners or Coloradans need to find legislators who will.