Several thousand among us in Colorado are veterans who’ve sacrificed their health to serve their country. Many of these disabled veterans, unable to work, have a difficult time financially.
Referendum E on the Nov. 7 ballot would provide modest assistance by easing their property tax burden, and we heartily encourage voters to support it.
The measure, sparked by retiring state Sen. John Evans, R-Parker, would reduce property taxes for some veterans by exempting part of the value of their homes from taxation. Only those who are permanently and completely disabled would qualify.
The state’s Legislative Council estimates that about 2,200 veterans would qualify. Their average reduction would be $466, and other taxpayers would pick up the tab, estimated to be about $1 million annually, beginning with the 2008 budget year.
The tax break would reduce the taxable value of a qualified veteran’s home by half of the first $200,000 of the home’s value. So, a disabled vet living in a home valued for tax purposes at $200,000 would pay taxes on only $100,000 of value. The state offers such a break now to homeowners older than 65 who have lived in their homes for 10 years.
Referendum E requires the state to reimburse local governments for reduced revenues. So, if one particular taxing district had an especially large number of veterans, that government’s revenues wouldn’t take a sudden, steep hit. We think this provision is a smart one. It’s not as if it won’t still come out of the collective taxpayer pocket – of course, it will – but at least no one entity would be singularly affected.
According to the Legislative Council, the measure’s major opponent is Douglas Bruce, the Colorado Springs anti-tax activist. Arguments against this tax break are that it benefits a tiny percentage of Coloradans – an estimated one-twentieth of 1 percent of state residents. And, disabled vets who don’t own a home cannot get this aid.
However, we think it’s a small break for a group of people who have given tremendously of themselves on our behalf. Among these folks are soldiers who have suffered debilitating injuries on the battlefield. They deserve all the support we can give them.
Referendum E is among seven questions the legislature referred to the ballot, and could be easy to overlook. We hope voters will give the issue careful consideration, and support Colorado’s disabled veterans.
