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Colorado

Roy Romer, Democrat

Legislature: Republican

Took Office: 1/87

Grade: C

After three consecutive terms, Roy Romer has finally

been term limited out of office.  Romer's fiscal record has

always benefited from the fact that he has had an electorate

and a legislature that are far more fiscally conservative

than he is.  His lame-duck status seems to have only moved

him further in a liberal direction--and further out of step

with this increasingly right-leaning state.  In 1998 alone

Romer has vetoed at least seven different tax cuts.  He has

also opposed the legislature's efforts to refund excess tax

collections this year, as the state constitution requires.

That requirement is part of an amendment called the Taxpayer

Bill of Rights (TABOR), which voters approved in 1992 over

Romer's staunch opposition.  That same year voters defeated

the governor's proposal for a sales tax hike to fund more

education spending.  TABOR is one of the nation's strictest

spending caps.  It restricts budget growth to the rate of

population growth plus inflation, requires that any revenue

growth in excess of that limit be refunded to the taxpayers

unless they vote otherwise, and requires voter approval of

all tax hikes.  Thanks to TABOR, budget growth has been re-

strained and Colorado state government has been forced to

give taxpayers rebates for two years in a row now.  Not co-

incidentally, the state's economy has been soaring, ranking

in the top 10 on growth of population, employment, and in-

come over the last two years.  Despite TABOR's benefits, in

Romer's 1998 state of the state address, he questioned

whether voters "were wise enough when they passed TABOR,"

said  that "they didn't have a clue," and called the measure

"stupid" and a "fiscal straitjacket."  Because of a fiscally

conservative electorate and legislature, Romer's grade of C

does not fully reflect his own fiscal philosophy as a tax-

and-spend liberal.

Score Grade Rank

Overall Fiscal Policy Score

43

C

34

Spending Score

44

C

26

Revenue and Tax Rate Score

42

C

36

Amount

1.8%

Average Annual Change in Real Per Capita Direct General Spending through 1996

0.5%

Average Annual Change in Direct General Spending Per $1,000 Personal Income through 1996

-0.2%

Average Annual Recommended Change in Real Per Capita General Fund Spending through 1999

0.2%

Average Annual Change in General Fund Spending Per $1,000 Personal Income 1996-98

2.0%

Average Annual Change in Real Per Capita Tax Revenue through 1997

0.6%

Average Annual Change in Tax Revenue Per $1,000 Personal Income through 1997

-3.3%

Average Annual Recommended Change in General Fund Revenue Per $1,000 Personal Income through 1999

4.2%

Average Annual Change in Real Per Capita General Fund Revenue 1996-98

0.0%

Average Annual Recommended Tax Changes as % of Prior Year's Spending through 1999

1.0

Change in Top Personal Income Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (% points)

-1.0

Change in Top Corporate Income Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (% points)

10.0

1998 Combined Top Income Tax Rates (Personal plus Corporate) (*0.5)

1.0

Change in Sales Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (% points)

4.0

Change in Gas Tax Rate, proposed and/or enacted (cents per gallon) (*0.5)