Hey y’all! We are rolling right along into Wednesday’s ballot queue, and this next one is a massive tug-of-war over our actual pocketbooks. Let’s talk about the upcoming measures on our state’s ballot, which deal with our public systems and our yearly TABOR tax refunds.
On the surface, the campaign ads make these choices sound simple. They tell you about positive investments into our communities without raising your tax rates by a single dime. Sounds great, right? But you have to look past the commercials and read the fine print. For me, this has to be a firm NO.
What the heck! The fine print reveals the real catch: if you vote yes, you are giving the state permission to keep some or all of the excess tax revenue that would otherwise be refunded directly to us under TABOR.
Wait, what exactly is TABOR and why does it work?
Let’s pause for a quick civics lesson because most people hear this word but don’t know what it means. TABOR stands for the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, and it is a unique law written directly into the Colorado State Constitution. Think of it as a strict household budget that voters forced our government to live by. It works on two simple rules:
- The state cannot raise your taxes without your permission: Politicians are legally banned from raising tax rates on their own—they have to ask you on the ballot first.
- The state has a spending cap: TABOR sets a hard limit on how much tax money the state can keep each year based on inflation and population growth. If the economy booms and the state collects more than that limit, they are legally required to refund that extra cash directly back to you. That is where our yearly refund checks come from!
With the cost of living what it is today, regular working families need those TABOR refund checks back in their pockets! We’ve already seen that Colorado pulls in massive amounts of healthy revenue from tourism, gaming, and sports betting. The government needs to figure out how to efficiently prioritize and manage the billions it already collects to support our public programs, rather than taking our hard-earned refund checks away to cover their budgeting shortfalls.
No matter what the slogans say, they show you a shiny goal but try to hide what it can actually cost your household budget. Look past the commercials, protect your refund, and do your homework!
To review the official text, financial estimates, and independent audits for these measures, check out the Colorado General Assembly Blue Book Portal or browse the non-partisan campaign reporting on the Colorado Newsline 2026 Voter Guide.
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