Colorado Policy Expert Warns Oklahoma: "TABOR Is a Proven Failure--Don't Repeat Our Mistake"
Alliance Press Release
February 16, 2006
New analysis underlines similarities between Oklahoma's TABOR and Colorado's; non-partisan, broad, statewide opposition to SQ 726 continues to grow
OKLAHOMA CITY — A leading Colorado expert on TABOR, the so-called Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, today warned Oklahomans to avoid making the same mistake that Colorado made in 1992 when it adopted TABOR. Appearing at a press conference at the State Capitol, Carol Hedges, a Fiscal Analyst at the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute explained the fatal flaws in TABOR that led to its failure and rejection in Colorado.
“TABOR will force severe reductions in the quality of your schools, roads, universities, health care and economy,” stated Hedges, who authored Ten Years of TABOR: A Study of Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. “It doesn’t cut waste — it cuts the heart of the services that Oklahomans most value and demand. Don’t be fooled by the sound bites from TABOR proponents; instead learn from our experience and keep rigid budget formulas like this out of your constitution.”
Hedges’ recommendation accompanied the release of a new study by the Alliance for Oklahoma’s Future that establishes that the core, defining features of Colorado’s TABOR are duplicated in Oklahoma proposal, SQ 726. David Blatt, public policy director for Community Action Project and the study’s author, explained the research and analysis involved in this detailed comparison of SQ 726 to Colorado’s TABOR. Blatt stated that, “With the failure and rejection of TABOR in Colorado, proponents of SQ 726 are now trying to repackage their product under new labels like ‘TABOR 2.0’ and the ‘Stop Overspending Initiative’. Oklahomans should not be fooled. SQ 726 retains the core features of Colorado’s TABOR, which creates the strong likelihood that TABOR would have similar effects in Oklahoma as in Colorado in damaging vital programs and making it harder to implement sound budget policies. Whether the Colorado version or the Oklahoma version, TABOR is a formula for disaster”.
Joining Hedges and Blatt were representatives of some of the many organizations and individuals who have publicly announced their opposition to SQ 726. To date over 40 organizations have endorsed the anti-TABOR effort and more groups and individuals are being added every day.
"Many seniors with modest incomes depend on public services for help with health care, utility bills, and other essential needs. If we adopt TABOR, we will soon see budgets for essential services dry up and it will be seniors, along with children, persons with disabilities and other Oklahoma families who will suffer", said Nancy Coffer, State Director for AARP Oklahoma which represents 406,000 seniors.
Pam Maisano, representing the Oklahoma Conference of Churches, an organization of 16 religious denominations invested in the social welfare of Oklahomans, stated that, “Families are having enough trouble struggling with poverty, rising fuel and heating costs, and inadequate access to essential medical care. They don’t need the additional burden of having services gutted by the outcomes we’ve already seen from TABOR in Colorado”.
Dave Herbert, legislative liaison for the County Government Legislative Council, which represents elected county officers across the state, said that, “We’re already starting from a position of underfunding of our state’s transportation system and other services. What’s certain with TABOR is that as state government becomes less able to fund services, more of the responsibility will fall to cities and counties and we will fall further behind."
“TABOR could have a devastating impact on health care in our state,” said Craig W. Jones, president of the Oklahoma Hospital Association. “Oklahoma is already at the bottom of many lists in terms of its rankings in several key health indicators, such as the percentage of uninsured, prenatal care, childhood immunizations and overall health status. We cannot afford to risk allowing these rankings to fall any lower, which has certainly been the effect of TABOR in Colorado.”
Click here to read the complete study.
The Alliance for Oklahoma’s Future is a broad-based alliance of organizations and individuals who have pledged to work together to educate their respective members, policymakers, and the broader public about tax and budget issues and the need for policies that ensure adequate investment in public services in Oklahoma.
