DENVER—The battle over three tax-cutting proposals on Colorado’s ballot in November is spreading to a voter’s guide written by legislative staffers.
Proponents of the measures have sent angry e-mails to the Legislative Council denouncing the preliminary analysis of the proposals’ fiscal impact. They have accused the council, a nonpartisan agency, of bias against the ballot measures.
The council writes the so-called “Blue Book,” a voter guide that explains initiatives and referred measures on the ballot and is required to include comments from supporters and opponents. It’s mailed to voters before every election.
A committee of lawmakers is set to meet Wednesday to consider the book’s wording. The guides will be sent to an estimated 1.8 million Coloradans in late September.
The tax-cutting measures are Proposition 101, which would reduce automobile and telecommunications taxes, Amendment 60, which would cancel voter approved tax-limit overrides, and Amendment 61, which would limit municipal borrowing and bar state debt.
The group CO Tax Reforms, which supports the proposals, has complained about a draft analysis of the effects of all three measures by applying them to the 2010-11 state budget. Legislative staffers estimated that 99 percent of the state’s general fund would be spent on public schools, kindergarten through 12th grade, if all three take effect.
The Bell Policy Center, a liberal-leaning think tank, has said the analysis doesn’t go far enough in showing the negative effects on public services if the initiatives pass.
Several communities and public agencies have passed resolutions opposing the initiatives. A coalition called Coloradans for Responsible Reform is campaigning against the measures.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
