NAME: Sal Pace
OCCUPATION: State Representative
FROM: Pueblo, Colorado
FIRST ELECTED IN: 2008
State Rep. Sal Pace has spent his political career beholden to union special-interests and liberal ideology. Pace’s record on taxes and government spending has been abysmal in his two terms in office. Rep. Pace voted for the $590 million hospital tax, which raised costs on healthcare providers and sick Coloradans, and the $265 million car registration tax that raised costs on every Colorado car owner. Sal Pace voted for all but one of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ tax hikes, which increased taxes on everything from internet sales and bull semen, to candy and soda. Colorado’s senior citizens have also been let down by Sal Pace due to his support of repealing the Senior Property Homestead Exemption. Repealing this exemption raised taxes on seniors by almost $200 million. Pace has also supported automatic pay raises for bureaucrats and removing the 6% government spending cap. As a former campaign staffer for former Congressman John Salazar, Pace accepted an unethical taxpayer-funded bonus from the congressional office for his political work on the campaign.
TOTAL TAX INCREASES:
$1.37 billion total
$590 million in 2009 hospital tax (Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing)
$265 million in 2009 FASTER car tax (Colorado Statesman)
$323.3 million in 2010 ‘Dirty Dozen’ tax hikes (Colorado Legislative Council)
$93.4 million in 2010 Senior Property tax hike (Denver Post)
$98.6 million in 2011 Senior Property tax hike (Colorado Statesman)
INDIVIDUAL VOTES:
DIRTY DOZEN (Colorado General Assembly)
HB 10-1189: Raises taxes on direct mail materials
HB 10-1190: Raises taxes on fuel sales used for industrial purposes
HB 10-1191: Raises taxes on candy and soda
HB 10-1192: Raises taxes on software purchased anywhere other than a retail store
HB 10-1193: Requires in-state affiliates of out-of-state on-line retailers that direct customers to purchase from those businesses to pay sales tax on the materials that are bought (Amazon Tax)
HB 10-1194: Raises taxes on non-essential food containers like plastic bags
HB 10-1195: Raises taxes on agricultural compounds, pesticides and bull semen
HB 10-1196: Narrows the definition of vehicles that are eligible for alternative-fuel tax credits
HB 10-1197: Decreases the maximum amount of a state income tax credit that may be claimed for the donation of a conservation easement in gross
HB 10-1199: Limits to $250,000 the amount of net operating loss that businesses can carry over on their taxes for the next three years
FASTER CAR TAX
SB 09-108: Raises taxes by $265 million in vehicle registration costs to fund transportation and roads (Colorado Union of Taxpayers)
SENIOR HOMESTEAD PROPERTY TAX
SB 09-276: Raises taxes on Colorado senior citizens by $93.4 million by suspending the property tax exemption (Colorado Union of Taxpayers)
SB 10-190: Continued the $98.6 million tax hike on seniors by suspending the property tax exemption again (Colorado News Agency)
AUTOMATIC PAY INCREASE FOR STATE EMPLOYED BUREAUCRATS
HB 10-1409: Instituted an automatic pay raise for state employed bureaucrats (Colorado Union of Taxpayers)
ELIMINATE GOVERNMENT SPENDING CAPS
SB 09-228: Eliminated the 6% spending limit on yearly increases in government spending (Colorado Union of Taxpayers)
HOSPITAL TAX
HB 09-1293: Raised taxes on hospitals, and those in need of medical care, by $590 million (Colorado Union of Taxpayers)
UNIONS
Sal Pace is a shill for Colorado labor bosses. Pace is so deep in the pockets of Big Labor, he even said, “I’m willing to put my fist where I need to put it. I’m willing to fight. I’m willing to go and rumble to make sure we’re fighting for good jobs.” A union staffer called Pace’s comments “abrassive.” View the story here. Audio here.
ACCEPTED A TAXPAYER-FUNDED CAMPAIGN BONUS
Pace collected a $6,800 taxpayer-funded bonus while managing the congressional campaign of his former boss, Rep. John Salazar. View the story here.
