Nicotine banning bill on collision course with Gov. Polis’ universal...
DENVER — Despite Gov. Jared Polis’ state-subsidized universal preschool scheme already struggling in just its first year, legislative Democrats are working to pass new legislation that would deliver a...
View ArticleMenten: Open letter to the Colorado Commission on Property Tax
Dear members of the Commission on Property Tax: The commission was tasked with providing property tax relief options before the temporary tax adjustments expire at the end of 2024. The obvious answer...
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Caldara: ‘Free’ school lunch running out of other people’s money
(You can listen to this column, read by there author, here) Indulge me as I quote a few old dead white guys. Yes, of course, we hate them because somehow, they victimized all of us. But, you know, that...
View ArticleGaines: The arrogance of Colorado’s one-party rulers on display
A recently passed and signed bill skirting transparency. Higher fees on rental cars. A bill about new fees on alcohol. Disparate as these three things may seem, they all speak to a level of...
View ArticleGaines: Democrats gunning for TABOR refunds with House Bill 1311
State Representative Bob Marshall and I don’t agree on much, but I agree with him that his colleagues in the Colorado legislature don’t like the fact that the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) requires...
View ArticleMartinez: Court sends a reminder; tax hikes require voter consent
In a major victory for taxpayers, a unanimous panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals agreed with the National Taxpayers Union Foundation’s Taxpayer Defense Center (NTUF) that an overnight doubling of...
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Gaines: Getting back from the state what we’re owed under TABOR
Pretend that your employer accidentally overpaid you, say $20 extra a month for a couple years. Neither of you notice until one day you get an email telling you about the mistake. The mistake has...
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Martinez: Legal fight over doubling of water district taxes continues
The National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF) continues to fight for residents in Northern Colorado. Back in March, in a major victory for taxpayers, a unanimous panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals...
View ArticleOchsner: Arapahoe County wants deeper in taxpayers’ pockets
“Fork over the tax increases, or the government programs get reduced or 86’d!” Full Disclosure: No one actually said this, but that’s the implied message from Arapahoe County to residents if they don’t...
View ArticleSharf: Denver’s already swimming in sales tax revenue, now wants more
Denver already has sales taxes approaching 9%, and a proposal to support Denver Health would push that number past 9% if approved by voters this fall. Now, Mayor Mike Johnston’s office is pushing the...
View ArticleGaines: Coverage of RTD should include those who foot the bill
Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) is struggling mightily with their light rail track, and Colorado Public Radio’s Nathaniel Minor has done yeoman’s work covering it. RTD can’t seem to...
View ArticleJefferson County voters again asked to forever give up overcollected tax refunds
LAKEWOOD —Jefferson County voters will be asked for a third time in four election cycles to pass a “de-TABOR” measure, allowing the county to permanently keep and spend over-collected tax revenue that...
View ArticleStudy finds special interest tax deals eating up Coloradans’ TABOR refunds
DENVER–Governor Jared Polis has consistently said he wants to lower the Colorado income tax, even claiming that legislation passed earlier this year would deliver on that promise. But new research...
View ArticleLakewood voters to decide on eliminating taxpayer protections in November
LAKEWOOD–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...
View ArticleSharf: A model for meaningful property tax relief in Colorado
In 2020, Coloradans voted to repeal the Gallagher Amendment, which had kept the state’s residential property taxes in check, but allowed commercial property taxes to rise over time. Homeowners now...
View ArticleColoradans to decide 14 statewide questions on jampacked November ballot
DENVER — Colorado voters will see a much longer ballot than usual for this November’s election, with questions ranging from embedding abortion rights in the state Constitution to upending the primary...
View ArticleO’Toole: Don’t reward RTD’s failure; say no to Issue 7A tax hike
The Regional Transportation District (RTD) is one of the worst-managed agencies in Colorado, and its solution it to tax you more. RTD’s elected board of directors referred a tax hike to the November...
View ArticleColorado high court sides with taxpayers over doubling of water district taxes
In a major victory for taxpayers, the Colorado Supreme Court declined to hear the government’s appeal from a unanimous panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals that held that a doubling of the property...
View ArticleOchsner: No on Arapahoe County 1A; keep taxpayer protections in place
As an Arapahoe County resident, I’ll be voting no on Ballot Issue 1A, a measure to permanently remove taxpayer protections in place under Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR. Let me...
View ArticleDenver, Larimer County among Colorado jurisdictions with wildly lengthy ballots
DENVER–Depending on where you live in Colorado, the 2024 election ballot may seem like you just sat down to start a new novel, with a storyline that hikes taxes and debt, makes changes to city and...
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