Celebrating TABOR

A Celebration of TABOR

Since 1992, the Independence Institute has celebrated TABOR. To provide you with the facts about TABOR, and the politics surrounding TABOR, the Fiscal Policy Center has compiled a review of the TABOR studies that the Institute's scholars have written in recent years.

Penn Pfiffner on TABOR
Penn Pfiffner, Director of the Fiscal Policy Center, provides us with links to his presentation on "Perspectives on the Taxing Controversy" and also to his PowerPoint presentation on the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR).

TABOR After a Decade
Earlier this year, Senior Fellow Fred Holden reflected on the past ten years of TABOR. He compared the ten years of TABOR with the preceding ten years, finding that TABOR has worked. The TABOR amendment has not only proved to be a success in containing government spending, but has also resulted in approximately $3.25 billion in rebates to taxpayers just from 1997 to 2002.

A TABOR Handbook (PDF file)
In 2000 the Independence Institute staff compiled a summary of key facts about TABOR, including an FAQ and suggestions for what the legislators should do about TABOR.

The Media Misrepresents TABOR, Again
The media likes to spread falsities and myths about TABOR. Senior Fellow Barry Poulson explains the facts of TABOR, concluding that the "culprit in the current belt tightening in state finance [...] is a profligate legislature, not the TABOR Amendment".

Voters Like It but Politicians Aren't Listening (PDF file)
Barry Poulson provides a deeper analysis of how the media has misrepresented TABOR over the years. He also explains that the voters support TABOR, but the politicians just aren't listening to the voters.

Scare Tactics Won't Work Here
Independence Institute President, Jon Caldara, explains the politics behind TABOR, in an editorial for the Boulder Daily Camera. Those opposed to TABOR, simply because they dislike controlling government spending, resort to scare tactics to gain favor. As it happens, the opponents of TABOR are losing, as 71% support TABOR.

Tax and Spending Limits: Theory, Analysis, and Policy (PDF file)
Barry Poulson provides an in depth study of the theory and policies of tax and spending limits, or TELs.

Priority Colorado: Balancing the Budget While Preserving TABOR and Colorado's Quality of Life ( PDF file)
In a collaborative effort with the Independence Institute, a team of nationally recognized fiscal policy experts from the Reason Public Policy Institute explain how Colorado can cover the projected budget shortfall without raising taxes or cutting services.