The defeat of the flawed and deceptive Proposition HH was good news for Colorado taxpayers for two reasons: It saved us from a massive expansion of state government, and it opens the door for simple, common-sense solutions to provide real property tax relief for Coloradans.

The fatal flaw in HH that voters wisely spotted was its complexity, designed to obscure the basic fact that it asked Coloradans to pay for their own tax relief, vacuuming up TABOR tax refunds to expand government by up to $21 billion over the next two decades in return for a minuscule break in property taxes.

From day one, when the Legislature enacted Senate Bill 303 in the waning hours of this year’s session — a measure crafted in secret with no time for public scrutiny or significant input — we warned this was a bad deal for Coloradans.

In fact, we called then for a special session to spare us all from a measure that did not provide real tax relief.

The proposal’s convoluted content, in our view, violated the bedrock requirement that ballot measures be about a single subject. That’s why we, along with the support of 17 counties, sued to have the measure removed from the ballot.

The ensuing campaign against HH was strong and the coalition fighting it was broad and deep.

Advance Colorado Action, Americans for Prosperity, and ReadyCO spent significant money to tell voters the truth about HH. Local governments, including counties, municipalities and special districts fought it. The National Federation of Independent Business — representing Colorado’s small-business community — said HH was a bad deal.

And Realtors, who deeply understand the impact of property taxes, said HH was not the panacea for homeowners that advocates promised.

Once voters dug into the numbers, they learned that even if HH passed, they would still face the largest property tax increase in state history. This in turn sparked a grassroots groundswell, with the facts being shared daily across social media.

The message voters sent to state leaders Tuesday was straightforward: if you want to give us property tax relief, then give us property tax relief. We don’t want 48-page proposals so convoluted that we need online calculators to uncover its impact on our household budgets.

The most direct way to move rapidly past the HH rejection is for Gov. Jared Polis to bring the Legislature back quickly and charge them with enacting clear, significant, and lasting property tax relief. Real tax relief can be done in a couple of sentences, and it doesn’t need voter approval.

In a recent televised debate on HH, I sat next to the governor when he said he would sign whatever tax relief measure the Legislature sends him.

The House and Senate should welcome the chance to come back to work and roll back the 40% (or higher) tax hikes Coloradans are facing. And get it done before the tax bills hit property owners early next year.

Unfortunately, the governor and Senate President Steve Fenberg have said they are OK just letting the Legislature come back in January. Business as usual in the midst of a property tax crisis.

That’s why we are stepping up with a straightforward tax relief plan.

The Colorado Tax Rollback is a two-pronged solution, to be placed before voters next year. And it’s simple.

First, we roll back property tax rates to 2022 levels, basically a reset to before the big spike we are about to see. Then we cap future property tax increases at 4%, ending unexpected tax tsunamis.

The fundamental point is that Coloradans don’t believe government should grow faster than their wages.

The Colorado Tax Rollback is proving popular with voters, since the 4% property tax cap earned well beyond the required signatures in only 57 days — a state record.

The measure has been certified by the secretary of state to appear on the 2024 ballot.

The wise defeat of Proposition HH creates an opportunity to provide Coloradans with the tax relief they need and deserve.

If politicians won’t seize this chance, and do the right thing, it’s a sure bet that citizens will.

Michael Fields is president of Advance Colorado.