A look important ballot issues across the West: wealth taxes in CA, the new income tax in Washington, and destroying TABOR in Colorado
The following is a list of some of the more impactful ballot measures being voted on, mostly across the American West, but especially in neighboring states. A full list of ballot measures nationwide was compiled by our friends at National Taxpayers Union.
For New Mexicans ballot measures are relatively rare because we lack the initiative (ability to put things on the ballot) and referendum (ability to overturn things the Legislature does). So, New Mexicans rarely have the chance to vote on substantive issues (unless the Legislature wants a pay raise, for example). But in many places including neighboring states (especially in the West), voting on major policy questions is a regular occurrence. Check out some of the important issues on this fall’s ballots:
Arizona
Proposition 141: Prohibits both state and local governments from imposing any tax or fee that is a function of vehicle miles traveled.
Proposition 316: Prohibits local governments from enacting sales taxes on groceries above 2% of the base price.
Proposition 320: Mandates that school districts with 7,500 or more students or that are located in counties with at least 500,000 residents spend at least 60% of their budget on “direct instructional expenses.”
California
Proposition 40: Imposes a one-time, retroactive wealth tax of 5% on individuals and trusts with a net worth of over $1 billion.
Proposition 42: Prohibits the enactment of new taxes on personal property. This measure also restricts retroactive taxation on activities before the tax took effect. This measure would block Proposition 40 if it receives more votes.
Colorado
Proposition NN: Allows the state to keep revenue collected above the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) limit to be used for K-12 education and other services for children.
Taxpayer Impact: This proposal would not directly raise tax rates, but would reduce future TABOR refunds by allowing the state to hold funds that could be returned to taxpayers. Analysis by the state of Colorado predicts taxpayers would forfeit approximately $4.6 billion in refunds over the first 10 years.
Amendment 82: Creates a constitutional right for consumers to buy natural gas for cooking and heating and for utilities and distributors to sell it.
Utah
Constitutional Amendment: Requires citizen-led ballot measures that create a new tax, raise taxes, or add a property tax to receive at least 60% of the vote to pass, instead of just a simple majority.
Washington
Initiative 645: Repeals a 9.9% tax on individual and household wage income above $1 million per year and prohibits future taxes on income.