Democratic politicians in Colorado must feel like the guy in the carnival game, Blizzard of Dollars, with dollar bills flying around faster than he can grab them. Except in Colorado the stakes are a bit higher: $60 million higher.
In 2013, Colorado taxpayers approved an excise tax on the sale of recreational marijuana. The demand for recreational pot, combined with high state tax collections in other areas, has led to a surplus of tax revenue that needs to be given back to Colorado taxpayers, per the state constitution, unless voters choose to plow those funds back into the state coffers.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what a group of Democrats want to do, and they have a measure on the ballot this fall to achieve just that. Proposition BB will corral those tax dollars and prevent them from going back into the pockets of working Colorado families.
Where might this money go? Of course to the usual opaque causes: government schools (it’s for the kids!), enforcement, and education. We’re sure infrastructure (potholes!) is in there somewhere as well.
When is enough enough? If the surplus was $100 million, would the Democrats have tried to keep the whole nut? What if it was $1 billion? The answer is it will never be enough for some people, and, thankfully, we have a mechanism in place here in Colorado to protect hardworking taxpayers from those who see fit to pick their pockets.