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‘We wanted to stand up for all taxpayers’: State Supreme Court affirms taxpayer victory against water district
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘We wanted to stand up for all taxpayers’: State Supreme Court affirms taxpayer victory against water district

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Even though it’s unlawful to increase taxes in Colorado without a vote of the people, vigilance keeps it enforced. When Northeast Coloradan residents noticed their property taxes double from 2019 to 2020, a few of them filed suit against the Lower South Platte Water Conservancy District.  Unanimously, the Colorado Appellate Court ruled in March this was a violation of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).  The Colorado Supreme Court affirmed this ruling and denied the defendant’s appeal on Sept. 30. With help from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation’s (NTUF) Taxpayer Defense Center and Advance Colorado, James Aranci and other property owners cinched this victory reaffirming TABOR: any tax increase needs voter consent, and b...
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Lakewood voters to decide on eliminating taxpayer protections in November
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Approved, completecolorado.com, Local

Lakewood voters to decide on eliminating taxpayer protections in November

 By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado The Lakewood City Council in August referred a measure to the November 5 ballot asking voters to permanently eliminate revenue limitations in place under the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). Despite some complicated ballot wording, a yes vote on the measure boils down to an end to refunds of taxes over-collected by the city for good starting in 2026. TABOR is a constitutional amendment that, among other things, limits the growth of local government spending to a reasonable annual rate based on inflation and local economic growth. Excess revenue must be returned to taxpayers unless voters give permission to exceed those limits. The Lakewood measure would allow city government to keep and spend revenue that would otherwise be refun...
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Logan County TABOR issues highlight local concerns: Free State CO talks ranked choice voting
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Approved, Colorado Accountability Project, Local

Logan County TABOR issues highlight local concerns: Free State CO talks ranked choice voting

By Cory Gaines | Colorado Accountability Project The deadline to get local ballot issues on your local ballot passed recently.  As such I called the Logan County Clerk and Recorder's Office to see about anything on the ballot in Logan County. There is a measure in the City of Sterling, CO There is a measure in Merino, CO There is a measure in Crook, CO There is a measure in the Frenchman Re-3 District (Fleming, CO schools). Why call and ask?  The answer is simple.  You as a citizen have a right to provide a pro or con statement on any local ballot issues for the taxing district you reside in.  You should take advantage of this right because speaking up on local issues can have a huge effect, especially compared to statewide issues.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLO...
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In Jefferson Co., campaign seeks to protect TABOR caps, as voters in other areas asked to remove them
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

In Jefferson Co., campaign seeks to protect TABOR caps, as voters in other areas asked to remove them

By Karen Morfitt | CBS Colorado Cities and counties across the metro area are going to voters asking to remove revenue limits set by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. In Jefferson County there is now a push to save TABOR that is gaining momentum as well. "I think these are like the third use of them,"  county resident Jessica Fenske said. The yard signs she's helping to paint this year are sending the same message they did in 2019 and again in 2022 -- to protect tax caps put in place by TABOR. "It's the same fight every time; it's not a left or right fight going on," Fenske said. "It's just the people trying to keep some of their money." READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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US judge tosses machine gun possession case, calls ban unconstitutional
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Approved, denvergazette.com, National

US judge tosses machine gun possession case, calls ban unconstitutional

By Nate Raymond | Denver Gazette A federal judge has dismissed charges against a Kansas man for possessing a machine gun, saying prosecutors failed to establish that a federal ban on owning such weapons is constitutional. The decision by U.S. District Judge John Broomes in Wichita on Wednesday appeared to mark the first time a court has held that banning machine guns is unconstitutional after the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 issued a landmark ruling that expanded gun rights. In that ruling, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Supreme Court established a new test for assessing firearms laws, saying restrictions must be "consistent with this nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation." The Supreme Court clarified that standard ...
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Property tax bill passes Colorado House during special session
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Approved, CBS 11 KKTV, State

Property tax bill passes Colorado House during special session

By Tony Keith | CBS11 The Colorado House passed HB24B-1001 on Wednesday hoping it will help reduce property taxes. News releases from both House Democrats and House Republicans shared their take on the legislation. ”We are committed to making Colorado a more affordable place to live, and with this bill we’re delivering additional property tax relief in a responsible way while protecting funding for our schools, parks, libraries and community institutions,”said Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon.“Two initiatives from wealthy special interests on the November ballot would de-fund schools, lengthen emergency response times, and strip health care away from our most vulnerable Coloradans. Stopping these measures with small changes to the bipartisan property tax package from last session...
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Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse, Sen. Michael Bennet lead delegation call for IRS not to tax TABOR refunds
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse, Sen. Michael Bennet lead delegation call for IRS not to tax TABOR refunds

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics Colorado's congressional delegation on Wednesday once again urged the Internal Revenue Service not to treat refunds issued under the state's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights as taxable income. In a letter led by U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Assistant House Minority Leader Joe Neguse, every member of the state's delegation asked IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel to stick with the approach the agency has taken for more than three decades, since voters approved the revenue-limiting state constitutional amendment known widely as TABOR. The lawmakers said they are concerned the IRS could be considering treating refunds issued this year by the state — $800 for individual filers and $1,500 for joint filers — as taxable income, reversing an interpretation the age...
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Colorado to see ‘enormous decrease’ in revenue, less TABOR refunds because of new tax laws
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado to see ‘enormous decrease’ in revenue, less TABOR refunds because of new tax laws

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The latest revenue forecast for Colorado's state government reflected the effects of some of the 30 laws approved this year that changed tax policy, resulting in less revenue for state operations and decreased Taxpayer's Bill of Rights refunds to residents.  The overarching message is the 2024-25 budget was tight — and 2025-26 is going to be even tighter. And that doesn't yet include the potential effects to the state budget from two ballot measures that could require the state to backfill up to $3 billion to cover lost property tax revenue for school districts and local governments. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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State taxpayers to lose $2.8 billion in TABOR refunds due to legislature, study shows
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

State taxpayers to lose $2.8 billion in TABOR refunds due to legislature, study shows

By Noah Festenstein | Colorado Politics As a result of 101 bills passed by the Colorado legislature, over $2.8 billion in state TABOR refunds will not go to Colorado taxpayers between 2024 and 2026, according to a recent report from the Common Sense Institute. The $2.8 billion loss is just less than half of the projected $6 billion in TABOR refunds for the next three years, CSI found in its report following the 2024 Colorado legislative session. “Legislators focused intensely on TABOR refunds this session,” CSI Mike A. Leprino Fellow Lang Sias said in a statement. “What started a few years ago,” he said, “has snowballed into what we saw play out during the 2024 session where more than 100 bills redirected TABOR refunds.” READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Who Raided Your Share of $2.8 Billion in TABOR Tax Refunds?
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Who Raided Your Share of $2.8 Billion in TABOR Tax Refunds?

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff As a result of 101 bills passed by the Colorado legislature, over $2.8 billion in state TABOR refunds will not be distributed to Colorado taxpayers between 2024 and 2026, according to a recent report from the Common Sense Institute (CSI). This amount represents nearly half of the projected $6 billion in TABOR refunds expected over the next three years. Key Findings: The $2.8 billion loss in TABOR refunds is attributed to various tax cuts and the costs of bills impacting TABOR. The legislature's actions during the 2024 session have significantly redirected funds meant for taxpayer refunds. CSI's report indicates that TABOR refund cuts will increase over the next three years, with reductions of $523 million in 2024, $1.06 billion in 2025, and $1.25 ...
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