Sacrifice is not a two-way street
Last spring, our community, our state, and our country was confronted with a threat of a global pandemic, the effects of which were unknown and risks were thought to be high. We were told that the existential threat demanded the strongest response possible – We needed to sacrifice our freedoms to peaceably gather, our right to operate our businesses, and our right to our livelihoods, all in the name of protecting us from our neighbors. This sacrifice has been felt by everyone and across the entire socioeconomic spectrum.
Our “sacrifice” put a huge hole in local municipal and statewide government budgets. Their “revenue”, confiscated in the form of property taxes, sales tax receipts, fees, and payroll taxes, fell off precipitously in a few short months. Broomfield currently faces a $15 million shortfall, and the State of Colorado faces a $3 billion dollar shortfall; a consequence of government mandates to shut down Colorado’s economy of over 5 million citizens.
Are our local elected representatives sacrificing and tightening the city’s budget? Aside from furloughing several hundred city employees and affecting their families, the answer is NO. The City of Broomfield has not curtailed spending on large capital projects, and continues to spend tax dollars in efforts to stop local energy development.
Instead of further limiting their spending, our elected representatives are now looking for new ways for taxpayers to sacrifice through increased property taxes, new sales taxes, and increased fees. Instead of tightening their belts, our city council’s goal is “revenue stabilization” for the city. “Revenue stabilization” is a kinder, gentler way to say “raising taxes”.
The “revenue stabilization” options being pursue locally and at the state level are numerous, and include:
Broomfield City Council considering a ballot measure to introduce retail marijuana to Broomfield to create a new stream of sales tax revenues to the city.
Broomfield City Council considering another local ballot measure asking Broomfield voters to increase the property mill levy to “balance off” the anticipated drop in property taxes in 2021. This is a direct attack on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).
The state legislature referring yet another ballot measure remove the Gallagher Amendment from the State’s Constitution, removing the check on residential and commercial property taxes and allowing them to be raised based on increased property valuations that are managed and assessed by the State of Colorado.
The state legislature passing HB20-1420 -Adjust Tax Expenditures For State Education Fund - to eliminate several business tax exemptions. Sponsored by Broomfield’s State House Representative Matt Gray, the bill eliminates these tax exemptions to drive up tax receipts to the state of Colorado on the backs of business that have been dramatically affected by the COVID-19 shutdown.
For elected officials, sacrifice is clearly a one-way toll highway, and we the citizens are being told that we need to foot the bill on that toll road. We carried the brunt of the sacrifices with the shutting down of our economy and hurting small businesses and family incomes. How is it fair that we are being asked to further sacrifice by way of increased taxes and fees while our elected officials are unwilling to sacrifice their own spending habits or pet projects?
It’s time, once again, to tell our elected officials no to the latest onslaught of tax increases they are asking for, and demand that they get their own house in order. We have sacrificed enough through this crisis, it is time that our elected officials do the same.