Prop HH Fails the Truth Test

A recent poll touted by the "Yes on Prop HH" campaign shows strong support among registered voters for the property tax proposal set to appear on the Colorado ballot this November.

However, a closer look at the measure and its accompanying advertisements reveals a deceptive sales pitch aimed at hoodwinking voters.

Contrary to the Proposition HH ballot language, the measure will not actually reduce local property taxes as promised. In fact, it will likely increase state taxes and end taxpayer refunds, but only if voters approve it.

“No one in Colorado wants a 40% increase in property taxes, but there's only one way to avoid it,” the deceptive campaign ad says.

“That is false,” according to 9News and Kyle Clark.

The recent campaign ad from Yes on Prop HH has been exposed as false by 9News and news anchor Kyle Clark.

According to the ad, the only way to avoid a 40% increase in property taxes is to vote for the proposition. However, 9News and Clark have debunked this claim, stating that there is another way to address the issue without harming taxpayers.

What the ad fails to mention is that Democrats have rejected Republican proposals for a special legislative session to find a fix that would not result in rating table refunds or a larger state budget.

In fact, the truth about Prop HH is quite different from what the ad portrays. The ad claims that the proposition will reduce taxes for everyone while preserving paper refunds. However, Kyle Clark has revealed that this is a misleading statement on multiple levels. He notes that Prop HH will not actually lower taxes below what taxpayers currently pay, but rather reduce the amount of property tax increases in the future.

Additionally, the proposition has the potential to eliminate taxpayer bill of rights refunds altogether in some years, ultimately giving the state billions of dollars more to spend over the next decade.

Prop HH was referred to voters by state lawmakers through Senate Bill 23-303, with the specific wording of the ballot question carefully crafted to paint a rosy picture of what the proposal does. The language begins by asking if the state should "reduce property taxes for homes and businesses, including expanding property tax relief for seniors."

“This harms our citizens who are trying to make ends meet, who are suffering from the high cost of living from rising inflation and passing it quickly over the weekend leaves me very uncomfortable,” said Rep. Gabe Evans. “I've received outreach from a lot of my constituents over the weekend or this morning who left their jobs on a Friday night and came back to work on a Monday morning, read the news and thought, oh my goodness, what in the world happened over the weekend?”

This wording may lead voters to believe that the state is responding to the recent property tax increases seen in many counties, but it's all just a facade. Proposition HH only makes minor adjustments to the residential assessment rate and offers a meager $40,000 exemption for homes, which will not actually reduce property taxes.

Whether the measure passes or fails, property owners will still see the largest tax increase in Colorado's history this year. Prop HH may slightly lower the increase for some, but it cannot be justified as a genuine tax reduction.

To add insult to injury, the true purpose of Prop HH is to allow the state to keep taxpayers' TABOR refunds. The ballot question also aims to appeal to voters by stating that the state will use a portion of the surplus to fund local services such as schools and fire districts. However, what is not disclosed is that the state's surplus is the overcollection of taxes from Colorado taxpayers, and the state needs voters' permission to keep and spend this money.

And the repercussions don't end there. If voters approve HH, they are also giving the legislature the power to extend the measure indefinitely without additional voter approval after the initial 10-year period. This means that taxpayers could potentially see an increase of up to $200 billion in state taxes over the next three decades.

Moreover, the measure does nothing to prevent future property tax increases, as it only offers a small relief for the initial year before allowing taxes to continue rising with property values. Prop HH also transfers more money and power from local governments to the state, as evidenced by the opposition from the Colorado State Fire Chiefs and over a dozen counties who have sued the state over the measure's unconstitutionality.

The results of the Magellan Strategies survey of 662 Colorado registered voters who are likely to vote in the November 2023 election regarding Proposition HH. The interviews were conducted from June 21st to July 7th, 2023. This survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.81% at the 95 percent confidence interval. The survey data were weighted to be representative of Colorado’s voter turnout demographics in an odd-year election cycle.

The recent survey from Magellan Strategies may show majority support for the measure, but that's only because the poll fails to inform respondents of the full impact of Prop HH. When voters are educated on the true effects of the measure, support drops significantly.

The nonpartisan state employees at Legislative Council Staff have a duty to accurately present information in the Blue Book, the voter information booklet, for all registered voters to see. However, the final language must still receive approval from a partisan legislative committee, chaired by one of the authors of Prop HH. This raises concerns about the accuracy of the information that will be presented to voters.

Ultimately, it will be up to the voters to educate themselves and their communities about the true nature of Proposition HH. Don't be fooled by the deceptive ballot language and advertisements promoting this measure.