Frozen in place: How a 1997 tax law may be trapping Colorado’s senior homeowners
By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
A Centennial resident wrote to RMV earlier this year with a frustration he suspects many of his neighbors share — one shaped by decades spent in the same home. He has watched its value climb far beyond anything he imagined when he bought it. And now, as he weighs whether to downsize, he finds himself facing a tax bill on that appreciation — one shaped by a federal law whose core thresholds haven’t been updated in nearly 30 years.
"This realized gain could be used for moving into a more manageable home, pay for necessary home care if needed, help pay for insurance, medical, dental, medicine expenses and keep their quality of life," he wrote.
His concern is not an isolated one. It reflects a structural problem — one incr...


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