You do NOT own your home
Even if it’s paid off “free and clear”.
Your home is owned by the STATE - not by you
You are never out from under the boot of the Man. You see, if you buy a piece of property, it’s not like buying a fly rod or any other widget, where you pay a sales tax once. No – your house is the gift that keeps on giving to the Man. You’ll keep contributing to the Man each and every year an amount that’s based on the value of your home – but don’t forget what we learned from Bill Clinton: “contributions” meant TAXES. And taxes are not optional.
Heck, if your home goes up in value, your taxes also go UP – even if you didn’t actually realize any income from that increase. Even if you don’t plan on selling for 20 years. I believe Slick Willy had a doublespeak name for that as well – it was called “imputed income”.
Taxes are SO not optional that guys with guns will come and take your home away if you don’t pay the tax. They’ll put all your stuff on the curb, and give your house to someone else who’ll pay off the Man. Yes – they can do that just as easily as your lender could if you didn’t pay your mortgage.
Funny, but if someone owes me money and I use a gun to extract payment – that’s a crime called “racketeering”, or something like that. When the Man does it, it's called “enforcement”.
So ALL land in the United States is really property of the Man – you get to stay there as long as you pay tribute, in addition to whatever mortgage you might owe. We live in North Korea with a PG rating.
Colorado’s rapid rise in property values
In Colorado, home values have gone into hyperspace in the past 4-5 years. Recent assessments statewide have left homeowners wondering if they have been mistaken for Elon Musk. “Mr Assessor, you are confused – I drive a Tesla - I bought one of his CARS, not his house.” The fact is that an ordinary 3-bedroom house in the Denver metro area will now set you back over $600,000. This is a good thing for your biggest asset – but a bad thing for your tax bill. It’s a REALLY bad thing for the elderly who might have paid their mortgages off - but still cannot afford their home.
There is an appeals process to the county assessors– but good luck with that. My assessment – based on comparable sales - came in at more than $50,000 higher than an actual appraisal I had for a refinance last year. I filed an appeal, and the Man said “nice try – but in Property tax poker, our comp-sales four-of-a-kind beats your appraisal two-pair”
Even the Dumocrats realize the imminent 2024 Colorado Property Tax-pocoylpse is a bad thing. Some people might get the mistaken idea they should vote RED when those tax bills become reality - and in a Presidential election year no less.
Colorado Gayvoner Jared Polis – oops, sorry… typo – Colorado Governor Jared Polis has ordered what is known as a “special session” of the legislature. That’s when something comes up in the months of June through December that can't wait until the next January-through-May session. No – this time the Governess (oops – did I say that out loud?) is not forcing more LGBTQIAKJGKJKJHKJ ideology in our schools, homes, and wedding cake bakeries. But let’s not give him any ideas…
Proposition HH
It seems that our diverse Governor is concerned that his statewide Dumocrat-architected Property Tax ballot initiative failed earlier this month.
It seems like Proposition HH – which was supposed to give “property tax relief” – got voted down by the people in spectacular fashion, specifically by 18 points. That’s because despite the distinct blue tint with which California transplants have polluted our state in the past decade– the majority of voters can still read. This state voted for George W Bush in 2000 and 2004 as well as GOP Governor Bill Owens in the same years. This state is pink, not yet deep blue. And that’s rather appropriate I suppose, given who is currently in the Goverenor’s mansion, but I digress. The point is - we are not California just yet.
There are two major red flags with Proposition HH:
Red Flag #1 – this was a ballot referendum, and I enumerated in another recent post the reasons for my disdain for the ballot initiative process in general. 1 But there is a more insidious factor at play here: the initiative is named with LETTERS, not a number. This means it was written by the legislature, not the people. It did not require a petition with 10’s of thousands of signatures – only the vote of tens of elected Representatives. We pay these folks to pass the laws, not delegate that process back to us. The sinister part here is that they can use this method to conceal nasty agenda items that would ordinarily be a political third rail – but not go on record to voters as supporting them. There is a layer of insulation, as it were. So Colorado voters should watch out for whatever might be lurking in any ballot question named with LETTERS.
Red flag #2 - This bill raises taxes, though it claims not to do so. To offset a “property tax cut”, Coloradans would have their TABOR refunds reduced. That is the deal breaker for the 59% of Coloradans who voted ‘NO’ on Proposition HH. They knew that this ballot question would have just moved taxation from their home to a reduction in their tax refund.
So what is a TABOR refund? TABOR stands for the Taxpayers Bill Of Rights. This was a Colorado law passed in 1992 that limits the government’s ability to collect revenue. The limiting factors are inflation and population growth. Revenue collected that exceeds the amounts specified by the TABOR formula have to be returned to the people. So the people rose up and spoke loud and clear: local governments cannot spend our dollars like Sam Bankman-Fried at a stadium sponsorship convention.
All the statist shills panicked like Hunter Biden if his coke dealer got busted, fearmongering that all sorts of basic services would be cut for lack of funds. But somehow the creek didn’t rise and the sun still sets in the west in Colorado; the only consequence has been that Coloradans have had a few extra dollars to spend on skis, backpacks, and rafting trips - and the economy has flourished for it.
So you can see that returning this money to the people each year was essentially a TAX CUT. No one had any problem labeling it as such, least of all the tax-and-spend TABOR-hating Dumocrats.
So if that refund is now withheld from the people, why aren’t we calling it a TAX INCREASE?
To be clear: No current and existing tax revenue would need to be eliminated or reduced to address the Property Taxpocolypse. In fact, I think most people are resigned to the fact that their property taxes will increase. They just don’t want to get a bill that’s in the same order of magnitude as the GDP of some small Central American countries
The mil levies based on the new assessments have not yet been put into effect. Not a thin dime of taxes has been collected based on the new valuations.
So no revenue is being taken away from county government that would need to be “paid for” by any other source. I repeat – NOTHING IS GETTING SMALLER. The coffers to which property taxes are paid will still INCREASE with any deal that is reached in this special session.
The solution should be simple: JUST LIMIT THE AMOUNT BY WHICH COUNTIES CAN INCREASE FUTURE MIL LEVIES TO SENSIBLE LEVELS. Period. End of Story. Full. Stop. Everyone gets an increase in revenue, and everyone is happy. There is NO NEED to touch the TABOR refunds because there is nothing to repay, there is no one to “make whole”.
But – the problem is the County governments have had their hearts set on a mega mongo huge stack of cash, not just a huge one. We have to make up for the visions of money plums dancing in their heads that won’t be under their Christmas Trees.
They are like Dudley Dursley from Harry Potter, only receiving 36 birthday gifts instead of 37:
Dudley Dursley : [on Dudley's birthday] How many are there?
Uncle Vernon : 36, counted them myself.
Dudley Dursley : 36! But last year, last year I had 37!
Uncle Vernon : Yes, yes, but some of them are quite a bit bigger than last year.
Dudley Dursley : I don't care how big they are!
Aunt Petunia: ‘And we’ll buy you another two presents while we’re out today. How’s that popkin?’ Two more presents. Is that all right?’
Governor Polis plays the role of Aunt Petunia (or maybe Uncle Vernon…gender fluid anyone?), giving the whining county governments their 2 extra gifts.
The oxygen thieves in charge of your money will usually tell you their intentions if you read closely enough:
Proposition HH would have reduced the state’s assessment rate for residential property and raised the amount of tax revenue Colorado could keep under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, the 1992 constitutional amendment that places strict limits on the state’s taxing authority. The new revenue that the state could have kept would have been used to backfill property tax revenue that local governments would have missed out on from the lower property tax rate.2
Note the phrasing: “to backfill property tax revenue that local governments would have missed out on”. There it is: the TABOR money would be used to pay for the two extra gifts for Dudley / local governments.
You can bet your diversity quota that front-and-center in this Dumocrat dominated special session will be the theme of giving these gifts - this in direct defiance to the will of the clear majority of voters.
Revenue is being presumed here that hasn’t ever actually been collected. We have to pay taxes on the income we haven’t realized so the government can collect revenue it was already counting as in the bank.
The now infamous and defunct energy corporation Enron did something similar and called it “Mark to Market” accounting – and people were sent to jail for it. When the Man does it – it’s called “backfilling” and it’s deemed sound fiscal policy.
I’ll say it again: There is no reason to give up ANY part of the TABOR refund, period. No one has to be “made whole”. Nothing is being cut. This is all about how much property taxes will INCREASE, not how much they will DECREASE.
Reducing the TABOR REFUND WOULD BE ANOTHER TAX INCREASE. The state is keeping tax money that would have been paid back to citizens, period.
This is similar to when Bill Clinton referred to GOP-proposed reductions in the rate of increase to Social Security benefits to be “cuts”. Again – nothing was getting smaller.
This is a scam and an excuse to shakedown more money from citizens. The Dumocrats trump card (no pun intended) is this emotional platitude: Property tax money is how we fund the schools. You’re taking money away from the Children!!! How could you do that to the KIDS!!!
After all, all those drag shows are expensive. How are all the second graders supposed to tip the performers?
But Proposition HH went down in flames because for many voters – it’s not their first rodeo. They know that Proposition NN would result in a slightly lower-than-expected Property tax increase, in addition to a second tax increase courtesy of the TABOR refund reduction. No one comes out ahead except the MAN.
At least the Dumocrats will have to go on record this time instead of hiding behind Proposition HH.
Taxes are a necessary evil
For those of you who think it’s part of being a good citizen to pay your taxes – I say taxes are a necessary evil – and a necessary evil is still evil. You should begrudge every thin dime every level of government forces you to pay or shakes you down. You should render unto Caesar – but never trust him. You should look for every possible which way to legally avoid ANY tax YOU CAN. I say “legally” not so much for moral reasons, but to stay out of prison. You should take pride in the taxes you’ve avoided, not those you have paid. You should be a good citizen by encouraging others to pay less taxes, not more. If we follow Shakespeare’s advice, we should spare the tax attorneys. Think of it as not giving booze to an alcoholic.
Open heart surgery can save someone’s life, but if non-invasive medications could do the job, there is nothing virtuous about opting for the surgery. I’m not choosing to have my chest opened up just because it puts more money in a hotshot doctor’s bank account. If the surgery is necessary, I’m not celebrating it. I endure it as a better option than dying, and hope I never need it again. There is nothing good about it except as a means to an end, nor am I a more virtuous because I hold my nose and endure it.
Government is a monster that takes far more from its citizens than it ever should. Criminal penalties for tax evasion are more severe than violent crimes in many cases. Al Capone was not jailed for any of his hundreds of murders – but for not paying his taxes.
There is a point to be made here – tax evasion, as opposed to murder, is a direct attack on the state’s power, and therefore a more grave offense.
For those of you who say I’m selfish and I should pay my fair share - I say my “fair share” should go to my church and other charities of my choosing. When compassion is involved, that is not the Man’s wheelhouse. The Man specializes in killing people and breaking things. Churches and charities actually help people - and if any fail in that capacity due to corruption or embezzlement, I get to send my money elsewhere. See how that works?
The United States of America itself was created by a war that started when King George taxed decks of cards and some tea. Today it’s about your home. Think about that as you watch whatever Frankenstein’s monster crawls out of the special session.
Fun fact: the Governor’s mansion in Colorado is home to a “First Husband”…but again I digress.
Beware of Truth!
https://coloradonewsline.com/2023/11/09/polis-special-session-property-tax/