William Julius Wilson
Harvard University

PENNSYLVANIA SPENDING LIMIT PROPOSALS SIMILAR
TO COLORADO'S FAILED TAXPAYER BILL OF RIGHTS

Proposals to limit spending in Pennsylvania would likely bring to the state the fiscal crisis and decline in public services experienced by Colorado under its Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), warns a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Pennsylvania legislators may vote as soon as this week on spending limit proposals that share key features with Colorado’s TABOR, the country’s most restrictive tax and expenditure limit.

“The harmful features of Colorado’s TABOR are included in the Pennsylvania spending limit proposals,” noted David Bradley, policy analyst and author of the report. “Proponents of spending limits in Pennsylvania made superficial changes, but the foundation of the Pennsylvania proposals is the same flawed foundation that created so many problems in Colorado.”

The report, “New Bells and Whistles But the Same Engine”, examines these shared features and documents the negative effects of TABOR on Colorado’s healthcare and education, offering a preview of the deterioration in public services Pennsylvania could face if the state adopts a spending limit.

The full text of this report can be found on the Center’s web site at: /archiveSite/12-6-05sfp.pdf.

For additional analyses of TABOR and state budgets, see the Center's special series: /archiveSite/ssl-series.htm.

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The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization and policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of government policies and programs.  It is supported primarily by foundation grants.