Face The State Staff Report
DENVER - A lawsuit challenging the state’s controversial mill levy increase opened Monday with lawyer Richard Westfall, representing a coalition of taxpayer advocates, asserting the $117 million of extra revenue that has already been generated from a mill levy "freeze" violates the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which requires any net tax increase be approved by the people.
Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter approved the property tax increase over the objections of Attorney General John Suthers, a Republican. The rate freeze was included in last year’s School Finance Act, forcing the Colorado Department of Education to retain outside counsel to defend the law. Ritter voluntarily intervened as a defendant in the case.
Attorneys for Ritter and the CDE, Mark Grueskin and John Mill, argued that TABOR limitations do not apply because 174 of Colorado’s 178 school districts had previously “de-Bruced,” allowing them to keep any additional revenue as long as the mill levy did not increase.
But Ritter’s freeze prevents mill levies from adjusting as property values rise, and business owners like Evan Gluckman, who testified yesterday, said his taxes have gone up $1,000 since the freeze passed last year.
The freeze is expected to cost taxpayers $3.8 billion over the next 10 years.
The Governor says that it's not a tax increase.....
On May 6th, 2008 Socrates says:
....even though it will cost us nearly $4 BILLION more in taxes over the next ten years. Yeah, right. Tell us another fable Mr. Ritter.