Three Billion in New School Taxes on the Ballot – State and Local

Colorado voters are being asked to increase taxes for K-12 education to generate about $1.6 billion per year in state taxes and $1.5 billion annually in local taxes for operations and buildings. The statewide request is a record. Colorado voters rejected a Colorado Education Association supported $1 billion statewide tax initiative in 2013 by two-to-one, even after more than $10 million was spent in favor.

In a Denver Post article, Monte Whaley asked which school tax request has the advantage – local or state, and which could hurt the chances of the other with the voters?

Voters traditionally favor local tax measures over statewide proposals, which bodes well for school districts with requests on a crowded 2018 ballot, Denver pollster Floyd Ciruli said.

“The general rule for Colorado is that we would rather pass a local tax than a state tax,” Ciruli said, adding that the local bond issues could hinder support for Amendment 73. “You can make a case that you are voting for a specific issue or building and that helps localize it for many people. While they generally have a hard time seeing where the funding will go on a statewide basis.

“There is also the issue that many people could be suffering from tax exhaustion, and that could hurt the state proposal,” Ciruli added.

See my blog: Another educational tax proposal – better chance than 2013?