Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Sales tax

Colorado tax data complicates the “fair share” argument
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado tax data complicates the “fair share” argument

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project High Income Coloradans pay an outsized share of income taxes As a follow-up to an earlier newsletter on Colorado’s income tax distribution (the graph headlining this post is from that newsletter), I did a summary op ed for Complete Colorado. That op ed delves into why a progressive income tax in this state would be foolhardy policy. More, including a link to my earlier newsletter with more context and detail, in the link below. https://completecolorado.com/2026/05/21/high-income-coloradans-outsized-share-income-taxes/ A different take on easing the tax burden for low income earners In the first post today, I shared an op ed I wrote which outlines why a progressive income tax (making t...
Lakewood taxpayers face 30-year shelter obligation after city grant deal
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, Local

Lakewood taxpayers face 30-year shelter obligation after city grant deal

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project From a recent edition of the Lakewood Informer (copied here with links intact): “Lakewood purchased 8000 W Colfax Avenue to use as an emergency shelter and Navigation Center using a grant from the state to fund the property purchase and renovation. As a condition to getting the grant, Lakewood committed the property to shelter use for 30 years. No public discussion about this condition occurred when City Council authorized the purchase. At an annual operating cost of $3,000,000, that’s a $90,000,000 commitment that was not disclosed to the public. That makes the Center severely underfunded, with declining neighborhood support, and may be one reason for the proposed city sales tax hike.” This was startling to ...
Denver’s Spending Grew 60% in a Decade, But Revenues and Population Lagged Far Behind
Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Denver’s Spending Grew 60% in a Decade, But Revenues and Population Lagged Far Behind

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Denver’s budget has grown sharply over the past ten years, far faster than its population and its ability to bring in tax dollars. A new analysis from the Common Sense Institute shows inflation-adjusted spending per resident rose about 60 percent since 2015. During that period, revenues grew more slowly, at about 40 percent, while the city’s population increased by less than 7 percent. The mismatch is why Denver now faces a projected $250 million gap over the next two years, even as officials push a $950 million bond proposal for housing, roads, and other projects. Spending Priorities Have Shifted Where the money goes has changed dramatically. Construction and infrastructure costs have ballooned, climbing more than elev...
Selective reporting skews the Sun’s take on Colorado’s budget reality
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Selective reporting skews the Sun’s take on Colorado’s budget reality

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Paul's and Eason's disingenuous reporting on the special session The Colorado Sun article linked at bottom has the title "Frequently asked questions — and misunderstandings — about Colorado’s special session to close a nearly $1B budget hole", but the article itself fails to deliver on that claim. The article in reality devolves more into "what do conservatives and Republicans have wrong" editorializing than an informative piece.Don't misunderstand me, the article makes plenty of valid points. I would, in fact, include it on a list of required reading to get a partial understanding of Colorado's budget situation and also of the upcoming special session.But, it is that "partial" in there that is the operative word. What ...
Loveland residents may create new sales tax to replace tax they cut last year
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Loveland residents may create new sales tax to replace tax they cut last year

By Dillon Thomas | CBS Colorado Less than one year after Loveland residents overwhelmingly voted to eliminate sales tax on most groceries, a shortfall in the city's budget has now led to some residents asking for a new sales tax to be created. The tax cut, which only applied to groceries purchased for at-home consumption, has now resulted in the city losing millions of dollars in revenue. As CBS News Colorado reported in the fall of 2023, the city warned residents that approving the tax cut would force funding to city services to be cut. The city's planners forecasted that the budget lost would not be deducted from public safety services like police and fire. However, they predicted that entities like the city's parks and recreation and libraries could face cuts. Now, less than a ...
Tim Walz stumped by question on inflation; repeats lie about Trump ‘sales tax’
Approved, Breitbart, National

Tim Walz stumped by question on inflation; repeats lie about Trump ‘sales tax’

By Joel B. Pollak | Breitbart Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, was stumped Tuesday when asked by a reporter to explain what he and Vice President Kamala Harris would do for families struggling financially. In an interview with local Macon, Georgia, CBS affiliate WMAZ, Walz first said that he and Harris understood the problem because they are “middle class.” He then offered a series of her proposals unrelated to inflation: I tell them Kamala Harris and I know something about it being middle-class folks. Our family sit at the table trying to pay the bill. We know coming out of the COVID pandemic with prices where they were, that people need to see some relief. And I think that’s why Kamala Harris has put out a plan — especially around home ow...
In Colorado Springs, voters will have chance to weigh whether to renew 0.57% sales tax for roads
Approved, KXRM-TV, Local

In Colorado Springs, voters will have chance to weigh whether to renew 0.57% sales tax for roads

By Ashley Eberhardt | Fox 21 News On Tuesday, Aug. 13, Colorado Springs City Council voted to refer the renewal of the 2C Road Improvement Program to voters in November. 2C is a voter-approved sales tax, serving as the main source for rebuilding and improving the condition of the City’s existing roadway infrastructure. It was first approved by voters in November 2015 and renewed in 2019. The current authorization sunsets in December 2025.  Without raising taxes, the ballot measure would renew a 0.57% sales tax, or 5.7 cents on each $10 purchase, for 10 years starting in 2026. According to the City, since the 2C program started in 2016, the number of roads in “good” condition has nearly doubled and the number of citizen pothole complaints has gone down by more than 3...

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