[Joe 6-pack]

"Just a tax by another name."

Unless I'm misreading the article, this is about as fair and voluntary a "tax" as a tax can be.

Per the article, "Because these properties have always been open to the public, not just to the hunters and anglers that purchased them and pay for their maintenance, many people visit these properties and use them as they would any other public land."

Simply put, these areas have been historically maintained exclusively through licensing fees paid by hunters and anglers, yet open to the public at large. All this measure is doing is asking anybody who wants to use the land to become part of the population that has maintained it. Don't want to pay the "tax"? Go hike somewhere else.

[mewzilla]

Q: Will the money really go to maintaining the state wildlife areas? Or will be siphoned off to be spent elsewhere? In which case the hunters, fishers, and hikers all oughta be pretty damn mad.

[AAABEST]

I agree with you.

And a fringe benefit is keeping non-sportsman, anti-gun types out or at least makes them pay.

[ConservativeInPA]

True, it is voluntary and that form of tax is a better kind - we can have a debate of best forms of taxation at another time. However, I have a problem with new taxes of any kind. A tax by any other name creates larger government. Larger government does not effectively serve citizens. Government has lost its way. Why is has it taken the entire history of CO to this date to require xyz (hikers) to pay a fee (tax)? (You can replace xyz and tax with anything you want - see acid test below.) It's because government wants to use the existing revenue for other things - specifically controlling peoples lives.

Here's my acid test: Any time a new law or tax is created I ask myself how did we ever survive without it in the past? The answer is nearly 99.99% of the time is we survived without it in the past and we can survive without now or in the future. Every tax and law expands government. It's about time that stops and things head in the other direction. Fewer laws, fewer regulations and fewer taxes. I want the day to come when I am crying for the need of more government just so I can live my life. I know that day will not happen. Right now I cry about government not allowing me to live my life.