taxes

A bill aimed at leveling the playing field between Colorado retailers and their online competitors passed the State House of Representatives today.

House Bill 13-1295 would simplify the collection of state and local taxes by "remote sellers" that do not have a presence in Colorado. This simplification would align Colorado with requirements in the federal Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013, a bipartisan bill pending in the U.S. Congress.

Lawmakers received good news about the state's economy on Monday as economists from the legislature and the governor's office presented positive forecasts to the Joint Budget Committee (JBC).

Colorado's economy continues to outperform the national economy as we experience a growth in jobs, an improving housing market and increasing retail sales, especially automobiles. It is "among the most vibrant in the nation," according to the Legislative Council Staff.

Question: What will the Affordable Care Act mean to the average American taxpayer?

Answer: For the "vast majority" of Americans, the health care law "won't mean sending more money to the IRS," according to an article by the Associated Press.

Other bullet points from the AP article:

It's a serious subject, but we still tried to have some fun this summer telling you about General Fund and his mounting problems. We hope our Plain Talk series made some dry topics more interesting and understandable. And it didn't hurt to have General Fund himself illustrate our points.

As debate over three fiscal ballot measures – Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101 – intensifies, it is important to understand how Colorado compares in terms of expenditures and taxes.

New findings from the Bell Policy Center show that undocumented immigrants in Colorado pay $159 million to $194 million in state and local taxes, an amount equal to 70 to 86 percent of their K-12 education, emergency health care and incarceration costs.

The Craig Daily Press reports on the Bell Policy Center's report "Immigration Effects on Colorado and the nation: A review of research."

The Greeley Tribune reports on a forum held by U.S. Rep. Maralyn Musgrave on immigration in Colorado and cites figures from the Bell Policy Center's 2006 issue briefs on immigration.

This review of research reports on the demographics of immigrants in Colorado and the economic impacts of immigration. It also analyzes some federal and state policies regarding immigration.

Undocumented immigrant households paid between $159 million and $194 million in total taxes in 2005. We estimate the average undocumented household working on the books in Colorado paid $1,861 in state and local sales, income and property taxes in 2005. Undocumented immigranttax payments are equal to 70 to 86 percent of the state and local governments??? costs for providing federally mandated services.