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Dear property owners (present and future), renters, and consumers,
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The umbrella logo you see here symbolizes the goal of Amendment 60--to PROTECT YOUR HOME from abusive
property taxes. Everyone knows that old adage, “Your home is your castle.” Those rain drops are
property taxes and other government charges and “fees” pelting down on your castle.
Amendment 60 on the November ballot will shield you from getting "soaked."
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Politicians constantly seek ways to tap more from your wallet.
Government controls the process. It can tax you on inflated values. It invents new
fees and other ways to increase its take. It ignores Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR)
rules. It limits your ability to vote on taxes. It offers misleading ballot titles
and passes increases without voter approval. Your home, business, and other property
are stationary targets.
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The best way to appreciate Amendment 60 is to start with the sentence-by-sentence Explanation.
Don't fault the wording in the official text. It must be written in phrases
of legal effect, not as a casual discussion. The text is direct, clear, and carefully
drafted. It instructs governments to implement these needed changes to help property
taxpayers.
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Property taxes are regressive; they are based on property value, not an ability to pay. Amendment 60
reduces that burden by gradually lowering homeowner taxes. That relief helps those on fixed
incomes who own a home they've lived in for many years. It is hard to pay property taxes in
one payment, particularly when Denver politicians doubled senior citizen taxes this year.
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Amendment 60 also helps renters and consumers. Higher property taxes are
passed on by landlords and businesses as higher rents and higher prices.
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There is no revenue loss to school districts. State aid is already required by law to replace
100% of school tax revenue impacts. Amendment 60 reinforces that existing requirement by saying
"state aid shall replace that revenue yearly."
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This simple, half-page plan is both Tax Reform and Tax Relief. It makes the system more
fair, more rational. It limits tax rates (mill levies). It stops illegal types of property
tax. It uses state aid to phase in broad-based tax relief, the same for all owners. It ends
a tax exemption for government businesses. It strengthens your right to vote on property taxes.
Ending property taxation by unelected boards will enforce that rallying cry, the Spirit
of 1776--“No taxation without representation.”
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Voters should decide excess property tax revenue questions at least every four years, not have a prior
generation of voters take away your right to vote forever. TABOR was intended to stop
governments from getting such permanent blank checks. Property taxes have exploded 183%, a $4.4 BILLION INCREASE,
since TABOR passed. See the bar chart here.
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You may be shocked to see how arbitrary the current system is. One short reform can't
solve all problems of the property tax system, but Amendment 60 does make the law work better for
the customers. No one wants a tax revolt;
everyone just wants taxes to be less revolting.
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It's time to change the rules! It's time to fight back! It is YOUR government; you have a
right to reform it. It is YOUR property; you have a right to rescue it. It is YOUR financial
future; you have a right to restore it. This is not a game;your LIFE is involved!
Tax attacks on your home are attacks on your family and freedom. Don't be a victim!
You have a duty to defend The American Dream.
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YES on AMENDMENT 60
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The election is coming, so it's not too soon to get rolling.
Spread the word about this short and common sense reform of Colorado's messed-up property
tax system. Thanks for helping.
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To those who say citizens should never amend the constitution--not even to protect their homes,
their rights, and their way of life--here is the response by one of America's patriots,
best known for proclaiming, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain
the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the
government, lest it come to dominate our lives and interests."
Patrick Henry
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