Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Tag: Taxes

Democrat turns tail on proposed pet tax after voter backlash
No Comments
Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, Commentary, State

Democrat turns tail on proposed pet tax after voter backlash

By Colorado Peak Politics A lawmaker who ruffled the fur of Colorado pet lovers with her bill mandating state registration of our four-legged children plus a mandated pet tax has turned tail and now plans to withdraw her measure. State Rep. Reginal English, a tax-and-spend Democrat from El Paso County, quickly came under fire on social media for her bill. It imposed fees of $8.50 on every pet with a designated caregiver, $25 for pets without designated caregivers, and $16 for pets that were permitted to breed. Channel 7 first reported English’s “decision to pull the bill was not because she felt pressured by the backlash.” Yet reported a few sentences later: English said the decision to pull the bill was not because she felt pressured by the backlash, but came ...
Read More
2 Colorado counties and RTD use taxpayer dollars on political consultants to generate more tax dollars
No Comments
Approved, CBS Colorado, Denver Metro, Local

2 Colorado counties and RTD use taxpayer dollars on political consultants to generate more tax dollars

By Shaun Boyd | SOURCE: CBS News As Coloradans brace for massive property tax spikes, some local governments are quietly laying the groundwork for ballot measures that would hike taxes even further, and a loophole in Colorado state law allows them to use your tax dollars to figure out how to get more of your tax dollars. Under state law, a government entity can't spend more than $50 to support a measure after it's on the ballot, but there's no limit on what they can spend before it makes the ballot. Natalie Menten, founder of Colorado Engaged, says the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners is among those using the loophole to run political campaigns on the public's dime. A political activist, government watchdog and chief nemesis of the commissioners, Menten says they're ...
Read More
Former Colorado Springs councilwoman prioritizes public safety, infrastructure, lower taxes in race for El Paso County’s District 3
No Comments
Approved, gazette.com, State

Former Colorado Springs councilwoman prioritizes public safety, infrastructure, lower taxes in race for El Paso County’s District 3

By Breeanna Jent [email protected] Brandy Williams has her eyes on El Paso County's future, and she sees fireworks. Williams is running as a Republican in the crowded race to replace outgoing Stan VanderWerf on the Board of El Paso County Commissioners in District 3, promising to prioritize public safety, infrastructure and lower taxes. The county has seen rapid widespread population and economic growth over the last decade, said Williams, 45. Likening its expansion to a mountain climbed, the lifelong resident and former Colorado Springs councilwoman said the county's next step should be continuing that push. READ FULL ARTICLE ON GAZETTE.COM
Read More
COLUMN: Jared Polis has been all talk on tax cuts | Jimmy Sengenberger
No Comments
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

COLUMN: Jared Polis has been all talk on tax cuts | Jimmy Sengenberger

By Jimmy Sengenberger Gov. Jared Polis has long pledged fealty to lower income taxes, a position he reiterated in his recent State of the State address. “I know some Democrats in the past have been skeptical of reducing our income tax rate,” Polis said, “but cutting the income tax rate is the most effective way to further our economic growth.” While his comments were met with consternation from fellow Democrats, they were nothing new for Polis. In 2021, he garnered headlines for declaring at a conservative conference that Colorado’s income tax “should be zero.” READ FULL ARTICLE ON DENVERGAZETTE.COM
Read More
Most Americans feel they pay too much in taxes, poll finds
No Comments
Approved, ASSOCIATED PRESS, KRDO.COM, National

Most Americans feel they pay too much in taxes, poll finds

By CORA LEWIS and LINLEY SANDERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS  A majority of taxpayers feel they pay too much in taxes, with many saying that they receive a poor value in return, according to a new poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.  Two-thirds of U.S. taxpayers say they spend “too much” on federal income taxes, as tax season begins. About 7 in 10 say the same about local property taxes, while roughly 6 in 10 feel that way about state sales tax. Generally speaking, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to view taxes as unfair, to say they are paying too much in taxes, and to see taxes as a poor value. READ FULL ARTICLE ON KRDO.COM
Read More
Democracies, Republics, and TABOR
No Comments
Approved, i2i.org, State

Democracies, Republics, and TABOR

By Rob Natelson, Independence Institute In 2011, a group of politicians and special interests sued in federal court to void Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). The case was Kerr v. Hickenlooper. The plaintiffs’ primary argument was that TABOR violated the U.S. Constitution’s Guarantee Clause (Article IV, Section 4), which says in part, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.” The plaintiffs contended that to be a “republic,” a state must make taxing and spending decisions through elected representatives only. They based this on a misreading of James Madison’s Federalist No. 10 essay—while ignoring everything else Madison and other Founders said about republican and democratic governance. The plaintiffs pointed o...
Read More
Caldara: Let’s bring back 4-year TABOR overrides
No Comments
Approved, completecolorado.com, State

Caldara: Let’s bring back 4-year TABOR overrides

By Jon Caldara | SOURCE: COMPLETE COLORADO PAGE TWO (You can listen to this column, read by the author, here.) The former head of the leftist ProgressNow Colorado, who is married to a U.S. congresswoman living in Jefferson County, has donated to the election campaigns of all three of the current Jefferson County commissioners. So, what a coincidence those same Jefferson County commissioners, all Democrats, are now going to pay him $180,000 to help dupe taxpayers out of TABOR refunds. As reported by the news site CompleteColorado.com (a project of Independence Institute, which I run), 7th Congressional District U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen’s husband, Ian Silverii, has just inked a spectacular deal from Jefferson County. His firm “won” a $340,000 con...
Read More
Governor removes Democrat from board that blocked Douglas County’s property tax cut, replaces him with Republican
No Comments
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Governor removes Democrat from board that blocked Douglas County’s property tax cut, replaces him with Republican

Jared Polis took Bernie Buescher off the State Board of Equalization, giving Republicans a majority on the panel that reviews local property tax decisions By Jesse Paul | SOURCE: THE COLORADO SUN Jared Polis removed a Democrat he appointed to a state board that reviews local property tax decisions after the panel in December unanimously rejected Douglas County’s attempt to offer a $28 million tax break to homeowners. The governor blasted the State Board of Equalization’s decision at the time, and then last week took former Colorado Secretary of State Bernie Buescher off the panel and replaced him with Richard Sokol, an Englewood Republican, who sits on the board for South Metro Fire Rescue.  Polis’ swap not only sends another message about his dislike for the State Board o...
Read More
Colorado, 8 other states, push IRS for clarification on taxability of FAMLI benefits
No Comments
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado, 8 other states, push IRS for clarification on taxability of FAMLI benefits

By Marissa Ventrelli | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS Gov. Jared Polis joined governors from eight other states in urging IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel to provide guidance on the taxability of Family and Medical Leave Insurance, or FAMLI, benefits to avoid double taxation. “As states operating these programs, we urge the Internal Revenue Service to provide clarifying guidance in this area, specifically regarding the taxability of these benefits and premiums, and to prevent the risk of double taxation," said a Jan. 18 letter signed by the state leaders. “The current absence of guidance from the IRS on the tax treatment of these programs creates a substantial risk of an unexpected and large tax liability for those who rely on these programs to take family leave, deal with a personal i...
Read More