We can fix our roads without raising taxes
Recently, a state legislator published an opinion in The Denver Post titled “Dems want responsible funding for transportation,” which detailed the Democrats’ proposal to address Colorado’s growing transportation problems. While I wholeheartedly agree that the state government needs to act immediately to fix Colorado’s roads, the proposal mentioned could have been reduced to three simple words — a tax increase. Yet, given how much money the state already collects, I completely disagree that more taxes are needed, and here’s why you should, too.
First, Colorado’s proposed $30.5 billion budget will be the largest in state history, and it’s over a billion dollars more than the previous budgetary year. A percentage of every budget is statutorily committed, but there remains a great deal of flexibility with year-over-year increases of this scale. Last year, Republicans very clearly made the argument that state government had enough revenue to prioritize a significant investment in roads. While we could not get enough Democrat support then, our budget is far bigger this year, and still Democrats want to increase your taxes. I asked this question to my Democratic colleagues several months ago and have yet to get an answer: “If a billion dollars more is not enough, how much is?”
Second, more lane miles, better roads and wider highways will directly benefit business, commerce and Colorado’s overall economy. Every minute that cars and trucks spend in traffic tempers growth and production. Consider a 2017 report by the transportation research group, TRIP, that found congested or decrepit roads cost drivers along the urban corridor of the Front Range approximately $2,000 a year, and drivers in my home area of Northern Colorado nearly $1,400.
An investment in roads would drive more growth in the agriculture and energy sectors, promote more rural tourism and give people more time to be productive in the urban areas. Combine the added costs of driving on bad roads with the economic boon better infrastructure would have on communities throughout our state, and it’s easy to see how an investment in transportation would lead to more revenue for Colorado to use on other unmet needs.
Finally, transportation must be moved to the top of the priority list for all legislators. Among Gov. John Hickenlooper and the Democrats in the legislature, transportation is always at the bottom of their list. It was barely an honorable mention during the governor’s State of the State address, and the author of the opinion I mentioned above put several other issues ahead of transportation. Even during casual conversation, Democrats put pretty much every other concern ahead of road funding. This failure to prioritize is exactly why Colorado’s roadways are in such poor condition. Colorado has spent a fraction of its annual revenue on roads, and as a result, has a $9 billion transportation backlog.
This session, Republicans are carrying legislation, Senate Bill 1, which would designate 10 percent of sales tax to transportation projects. A consistent revenue source will allow Colorado to secure a $3.5 billion bond to pare down the list of urgent road projects throughout the state, and generate long-term funding for future projects and maintenance without raising taxes. Colorado has successfully used similar bonding measures in the past to fund large-scale transportation projects, and the current list of projects that could be funded by this multibillion-dollar investment will impact every county in the state.
The bottom line is we have enough revenue to fix our roads. Legislators simply need to make transportation their top priority. Designating 10 percent is a responsible and manageable way to start fixing our neglected roads. I agree there are numerous other issues the legislature needs to address, but reliable, safe and effective transportation affects all of them. Democrats can claim taxes must go up, but after seeing the how much revenue is available to spend on roads today, I am not convinced any amount will ever be enough for them.