As the legislative session ended earlier this year, Senate President Bill Cadman went on the radio and called a bill to exempt the hospital provider fee from the limits provided under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR, the No. 1 bad idea of the session.

Yesterday, Gov. Hickenlooper unveiled his proposed 2017 state budget. It is a $27 billion proposal — and it does set aside money for TABOR refunds. But in an interview last week, the governor made the end game clear: He is not going to give up on his efforts to tear down TABOR.

Hickenlooper’s new group, “Building a Better Colorado,” is looking for ways to dismantle TABOR so that the governor can increase our taxes.

The facts remain: Colorado’s current state budget is already over $25 billion. And the state collected $10.84 billion in tax revenue in 2014, which was over 35 percent more ($2.8 billion worth) than it collected in 2010.

The government clearly has more than enough money to fund itself. And when it comes down to it, Coloradans don’t want to give state government a blank check. Two massive tax hikes were voted down by a 2-to-1 margin in 2011 and 2013. Still, Gov. Hickenlooper is scheming to find a way to get more of our money.

Last session, the governor pressed for a special backdoor exception to remove over $600 million in hospital provider fee revenue from TABOR limits. (Don’t let the word “fee” fool you; it is a tax.) This was simply an attempt to take away the refunds that Coloradans are entitled to under TABOR in order to pay for his big-government agenda.

The state Senate rightfully rejected this ‘Hickenlooper tax increase,’ and it should be rejected again, no matter how the governor’s “Building a Better Colorado” tries to spin it.

In next year’s session, the Senate should continue to send a clear message to taxpayers that dismantling TABOR through the governor’s hospital provider fee gimmick is a non-starter. The good news for taxpayers is that there are elected officials in the Legislature, like Senate President Cadman, who have proven they are committed to protecting the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

Why is Gov. Hickenlooper so intent on getting rid of TABOR? Because the governor doesn’t see the Taxpayer Bill of Rights as a legitimate and cautious restraint protecting limited taxpayer resources. Instead, he sees TABOR as a roadblock to expand government without being accountable to the people of Colorado.

One of the main reasons that Coloradans have consistently shot down big tax hikes is because they want the government to prove that it is effectively using existing tax money before asking for more. We’ve moved beyond a tax-and-spend government to a tax-and-mismanage government.

Put simply, the governor wants to keep your refund money and raise your taxes, taking more of the hard-earned dollars you deserve to spend on your family.

Other elected officials who are joining in on these many attacks on TABOR, like Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, are just plain wrong. The government doesn’t need more money. We have the largest budget in state history. What we need is government that understands how to put these tax dollars to good use and that is always finding ways to do more with less.

Thankfully, the TABOR is functioning as it should, slowing the growth of government. TABOR ensures all new projects are given the strictest scrutiny by calling on Coloradans to vote for additional increases — keeping the government from spending more of your money without your permission.

Michael Fields is state director of Americans For Prosperity-Colorado.