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.

PODCASTS:

Penn Pfiffner on TABOR

Penn Pfiffner, Director of the Fiscal Policy Center, provides us with links to his presentation from the 2006 Candidates Briefing and also to his PowerPoint presentation on the impact of Referendum C on theTaxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR).

TABOR: What was Said vs. What Really Happened

There was a lot said back in the early 90’s about TABOR. Some were praising it as the answer to our fiscal problems while others were predicting doomsday. So what really happened? Todd Hollenbeck joins Justin Longo to discuss his Issue Paper that tackles which predictions concerning TABOR turned out to be true and which turned out to be flat out wrong.

The Arveschoug-Bird Spending Limit

This podcast is not for the faint of heart! It is for policy geeks looking to dive right into some heavy duty discussion. Jon Caldara sits down with Fiscal Policy Center Director Penn Pfiffner to discuss how Amendment 59 effects not just TABOR, but the Arveschoug-Bird 6% spending limit.

Referendum C: The Wrong Solution for the Wrong Problem

TABOR continues to receive the blame for problems it did not create and has nothing to do with. Author Todd Hollenbeck destroys this pervasive fallacy and explains why TABOR has helped Colorado’s economy, not hurt it.

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 s pending, but has also resulted in approximately $3.25 billion in rebates to taxpayers just from 1997 to 2002.

TABOR Saved Colorado

Colorado’s tax and spending limits have imposed the most effective constraints on the growth of government in the country. But those tax and spending limits are under attack in Colorado, just as they once were in California. Do we really want to follow California’s disastrous abandonment of fiscal discipline? Read Barry Poulson’s take on how TABOR saved Colorado.

TABOR Legislative Handbook

In 1992, the TABOR Amendment, a citizen initiative authored by Douglas Bruce, was adopted by voters. TABOR limits the growth of most state revenue to inflation plus population. TABOR limits do not apply to federal funds, private gifts, and a few other sources. TABOR states that already-existing limits (like the statutory 6% cap on general fund spending growth) may be weakened only with voter approval.

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)

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.

Are You Afflicted with the Endowment Illusion?

“One of the most important articles of the past 30 years” is how Center Director Penn Pfiffner characterizes this article. When the Rich Get Richer: An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of individuals, written by James L. Payne of the Reason Foundation.

Listen here to the podcast with the author. Dr. Payne has taught and written extensively – see his background here.