If you are thinking about voting yes on Proposition HH because it will cut your property taxes like the television advertisement promised, you’re going to be sorely disappointed when your property tax bill shows up next year.

That’s because those Jared Polis advertisements bombarding the airwaves, just like the ballot language presented to voters, have been carefully crafted to deceive the voters of this great state.

Proposition HH is the largest tax increase in the history of Colorado, not the property tax cut slippery politicians under the Golden Dome want you to believe it is.  HH has the dubious distinction of being the most dishonest ballot initiative this state has ever seen.

If HH passes, that property tax bill that lands next year is still going to be one helluva’ lot higher than it was this year.

Here is the truth.

• Proposition HH greenlights a massive property tax increase of 26% for homeowners all across the state.  Many homeowners in the Denver Metro Area will see a better than 40% increase in property taxes next year alone.  If you live in a neighborhood with especially hot home values, with HH, your property taxes could still increase by more than 50% even with HH on the books.

• HH guts the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, and thus, will confiscate a projected $5,100 in taxpayer refunds that are otherwise set to go to Coloradans over the next 10 years.  At some point in time, it is inevitable: Proposition HH will end taxpayer refunds in the state of Colorado totally.  How can Jared Polis and supporters of HH say the measure protects refunds?  Because HH carefully protects refunds next year, so that they can say HH protects refunds, only to choke out refunds each and every year into the future.  Polis, very honestly, should be ashamed.

• If HH passes, the state of Colorado will be allowed to collect and spend an additional eye-popping $20 billion over the next 20 years than if HH fails.  HH is an absolutely enormous tax increase that will inject billions of new spending into the state government.  If you are gullible enough to believe a “tax cut” can generate $20 billion in new spending for state government, Gov. Polis has some oceanfront property in Boulder he will gladly sell you.

The fact of the matter is, HH is just bad policy.  At a period when Colorado is facing an affordable housing crisis, a 26% increase in property taxes under HH is like pouring gas on the fire.  Jared Polis ran for re-election on a promise of saving you money.  A 26% property tax hike and a $5,100 tax increase supporting $20 billion in new government spending is the exact opposite.  

If voters are wise enough to defeat HH, then what?

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That answer is easy.  Business groups like Colorado Concern and conservative groups like Advance Colorado have in each of the past several years proposed straightforward solutions to the problem of skyrocketing property tax increases.  That solution is: cap property taxes. The legislature can pass a property tax cap any time it wants. 

If HH fails, they will have no choice but to do exactly that. During a debate on 9News, after getting absolutely annihilated by conservative taxpayer advocate Michael Fields, Gov. Polis left the door open to the legislature passing a straightforward cap like the one proposed by business leaders.  Prominent Democrats have said they would even support a special session to address the impending property tax train wreck. 

“I would support a special session, 100%,” said State Sen. Joann Ginal, D-Fort Collins told 9News in Denver. “This ballot initiative, as it was and as it was passed, needs further discussion. It wasn’t done in a way that isn’t a Democratic way where people have the option to come and talk about, in committee, the pros and the cons and why they’re for it or why they’re against it. People didn’t have their say. I really would like this ballot initiative to be opposed, and that we go back and we talk about it, and we have more transparency.” 

The fact that there is a real path to solve the problem of increasing property taxes without HH is important because voters shouldn’t feel compelled to give in to the extortion plot of handing over $5,100 in taxpayer refunds to benefit from a minuscule slowdown in the rate of increasing property taxes. 

In fact, the opposite is true.  Voters should send a message to Polis and the Democrats in Denver: don’t lie to us and don’t extort us.  If Polis and HH are defeated, that is exactly the message voters will be sending.

Joe O’Dea is a Colorado businessman. He was the Republican nominee in Colorado’s 2022 U.S. Senate race.