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Backer pulls plug on Ref C-rebate measure

Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 7, 2006 at midnight

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The leading opponent of Referendum C today withdrew his effort to have a portion of that tax money returned to Coloradans.

Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute, said he believes he had enough valid voter signatures to get the issue on the ballot, but he didn’t have the money to fight the "pro-tax, Chamber of Commerce Mafia" once it got there.

"I did some real soul searching over the weekend," Caldara said. "Quite simply, I had to give myself a reality check."

He said he is gratified that his discussion of the of Referendum C collections has forced the gubernatorial candidates to address the issue.

Today is the deadline for supporters of ballot initiatives to turn in voter signatures to the secretary of state.

In addition to the Ref C rebate, backers of a proposal to limit abortions also chose not to the turn in their signatures, said Dana Williams, spokeswoman for secretary of state’s office.

Neither Tim Dore nor Michael Lawrence, who were behind the abortion proposal, were available for comment.

Caldara said one factor in his decision not to put the Ref C rebate on the ballot is that he believed his opponents were going to spend $3 milllion fighting him, and he couldn't muster the same firepower.

He said he would rather spend his personal time making sure that "real’" Republicans who support limited government get elected.

Caldara remains livid that Republican Gov. Bill Owens and almost half of the GOP majority in the legislature last year supported efforts to put Referendum C on the ballot. Voters approved the measure, which allows the state to suspend tax-and-spending limits imposed for by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights for five years to allow the state to recover from a recession.

Voters were told that the state expected to keep $3.7 billion over five years, but with the current booming economy, particularly in the oil and gas industry, the state will collect far more.

Caldara’s proposal would have refunded any money above the $3.7 million figure to the taxpayers.