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Reduce Taxes BY Eliminating the Government Middleman
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Reduce Taxes BY Eliminating the Government Middleman

By Russ Minary | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice "The power to tax is the power to destroy." – U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, 1819 In this article, I’ll explain and contrast how and why the American free market works differently and better than government (in many cases) using two free market American businesses you know: Amazon and Costco. NOTE: I am a Constitutional conservative and enthusiastic advocate of the free market wherever, whenever and in whatever ways possible. I don’t oppose all government, just that which is redundant, costly, over-regulated, complicated, unnecessary, or too oppressive and costly. Which is most of it. In the past, manufacturers, local retailers and their customers enjoyed friendly relationships. A middleman like a distribu...
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Progressive Policies Pull Colorado, Oregon, and Washington Down California’s Path
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National, Approved, City Journal

Progressive Policies Pull Colorado, Oregon, and Washington Down California’s Path

By Joel Kotkin | City Journal Colorado, Washington, and Oregon have adopted many of the policies contributing to the Golden State’s decline. Not long ago, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon were widely hailed as states with bright futures. For decades, they attracted scores of out-of-state migrants, turning Denver, Seattle, and Portland into celebrated urban hubs. But that changed as these states began adopting the very policies—above all on energy, housing, and regulation—that many newcomers had fled from in California. Once politically purple, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon have turned solid blue, embracing the same agenda that even the New York Times concedes has turned “the California dream” into “a mirage.” True, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon have yet to reach Californi...
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Colorado lawmakers hike fees to fill budget gaps
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Approved, Axios Denver, State

Colorado lawmakers hike fees to fill budget gaps

By John Frank | Axios Denver If you own a car, run a restaurant or go to court, expect to pay more in fees in coming years. Why it matters: The Democratic majority at the state Capitol is using fees to fill spending gaps in an austere budget year — even though it works against their promises to reduce Coloradans' cost of living. Catch up quick: The small-dollar increases are easy to overlook, but a handful of bills would generate big money for the state. READ THE FULL STORY AT AXIOS DENVER
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Does Colorado get back more or less than it spends in federal taxes?
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Does Colorado get back more or less than it spends in federal taxes?

By John Ingold | The Colorado Sun If you ever feel like you may be in a one-sided relationship with the federal government come tax season, there’s a chance you’re right. It’s not you, it’s them. The focus lately on federal spending cuts has highlighted the importance that massive amounts of federal money play in all 50 states. But there’s another perspective to this issue: For some states, the amount they receive back in federal funding is less than what they pay in taxes. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Woodland Park City Council advances effort to repeal sales tax for public schools
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Approved, gazette.com, Local

Woodland Park City Council advances effort to repeal sales tax for public schools

By Eric Young | The Gazette A new agreement, a taxpayer vote and corrective reactions weren’t enough to quell the dispute between Woodland Park’s school district and the City Council. Council members advanced an ordinance to repeal the sales tax earmarked for Woodland Park’s public schools after they clashed once again with Woodland Park RE-2. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Colorado Department of Revenue still not processing state tax returns
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

Colorado Department of Revenue still not processing state tax returns

By Kim Posey | Fox 31 News Tax season started weeks ago, but the state of Colorado still has not started processing tax returns. On a federal level, the IRS began accepting individual tax returns on Jan. 27, but the Colorado Department of Revenue website for e-filing taxes is not up and running yet. The website said 2024 return links are coming soon and to check back in early February, but the month is more than halfway over and residents are wondering when they could receive their state refund if they are getting one. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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Ballot measure 1A would allow Colorado’s Jefferson County to keep $30 million in tax revenue it knowingly overcollected
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Ballot measure 1A would allow Colorado’s Jefferson County to keep $30 million in tax revenue it knowingly overcollected

By Shaun Boyd, CBS Colorado For the third time in five years, Jefferson County is asking voters to permanently remove caps that limit how much tax revenue the Colorado county can keep and spend, including a new cap just put in place by the state legislature two months ago. "We would be the first in Colorado to have no cap, and they're trying to say it's not a tax increase," says Natalie Menten, who is leading the "No on 1A" effort. While Jeffco says 1A is a "revenue retention" measure to fund infrastructure and public safety, Menten says, not only would taxpayers forfeit all future refunds from the county, but $30.5 million in property tax revenue from 2023 that Jeffco deliberately overcollected. "They took our money. They're holding it, earning interest on it, k...
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Aurora lawmakers postpone vote to repeal employee tax
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Local

Aurora lawmakers postpone vote to repeal employee tax

By Kyla Pearce, Denver Gazette via Colorado Politics Aurora City Council on Monday postponed a decision on whether to keep a tax on businesses after a loud dust-up between councilmembers.  The occupational privilege tax collects $4 monthly from companies for each employee. Employers and employees split the dues, paying $2 respectively. The tax began in 1986 to support street maintenance, police and fire services. In a study session earlier in October, Councilmember Francoise Bergan proposed keeping the occupational privilege tax to fund fire stations in the Blackstone and Southshore areas. She made the proposal, she said, after hearing concerns from residents about the lack of fire stations in the areas, telling a story about a resident who may have died due to a long resp...
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TABOR refund amounts announced for 2025, based on income
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local, State

TABOR refund amounts announced for 2025, based on income

By Heather Willard | FOX31 Just days after announcing there would be TABOR refunds for Colorado residents in 2025, the state has announced how much money each Coloradan household can expect to receive. TABOR, or the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, is an amendment to the state constitution that limits how much revenue Colorado governments can retain and requires that Colorado residents vote to approve any tax increases. The overages are refunded to Colorado taxpayers. In an audit released on Oct. 14, the Colorado Office of the State Auditor said the state has $1.4 billion in excess revenue, which translates into TABOR refunds. This is a fair bit lower than what was collected during the 2023 tax year when the state reported it was returning some $3.28 billion to Colorado t...
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Legislators have a business tax-break plan — and opposition to it
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Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

Legislators have a business tax-break plan — and opposition to it

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance After considering several options to reduce the business-personal-property tax burden, Colorado legislators appear interested in backing a plan that would nix a rarely used tax break and create a new benefit focused on smaller companies. Late last month, the Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning Tax Policy advanced five proposals to Legislative Council, which will meet next week to determine which of those and of other interim-committee suggestions will be introduced as bills in the 2025 session. And while committee members declined to advance either of two BPPT-specific proposals it earlier had discussed, they did agree to incorporate one of those proposals into an omnibus bill that would make myriad changes to state tax law. ...
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