Federal appeals panel dismisses long-running TABOR lawsuit

DENVER (AP) — The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed a long-running lawsuit challenging Colorado’s strict tax and spending limits as unconstitutional. Colorado Politics reports that dismissed the lawsuit, filed in 2011 by group of elected officials, on Monday. The voter-approved 1992 Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights requires that tax increases be approved by voters. It also requires the state to refund tax revenue that exceeds a formula based on inflation and population growth. Its challengers say that violates the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees a republican form of government in each state where elected officials, such as the Legislature, make decisions.