Dear NFIB/Colorado members,
The 2017 Legislative session adjourned on Wednesday, May 10th. NFIB/Colorado achieved some significant legislative victories for its 7,000 small business members. But it had a few losers as well, thereby setting up new challenges for the 2017-2018 interim and the next legislative session in January 2018.
Because of negotiations to get a transportation funding bill passed Colorado small business owners ended up with a Christmas in May gift of a tax exemption of the first $18,000 in Business Person Property Taxes. Senate bill 276, (J. Sonnenberg, Sterling) with its’ many other components moved the Hospital Provider Fee to an Enterprise Fund freeing up dollars for transportation. SB 276 also reduced the TABOR Cap by $200 million dollars.
House bill 1216 creates the sales and use tax simplification task force. Comprised of business owners from both small and large business organizations, legislative members and state and local sales and use tax experts along with local municipal and county governments. The bill requires the task force to study sales and use tax simplification between the state and local governments, and between the state and home rule jurisdictions. Known for having the most complicated and inefficient sales tax collection and remittance process Colorado maintains over 700 taxing districts. The task force will examine issues such as uniform definitions of taxable items and a single point of collect and remittance of sales and use taxes collected.
The loser for 2017 was Regulatory Reform. NFIB/Colorado has led the charge for a more sensible regulatory environment in Colorado since 2010. This year saw two attempts to pass regulatory reform legislation. Both pieces of legislation would have required state agencies to allow a small business 30 days to cure a first-time offense of a minor violation. Both pieces were killed in committee. Regulatory reform efforts continue to be met with a “politics as usual” by House democratic leadership joined by big labor.
Now is the time to contact your legislators and develop that so important relationship with them. Legislators will make decisions based upon information they receive from those they know and trust. That person can be you. Invite your legislator to your business and share your concerns with them. Information to assist you in contacting your legislator can be found at http://leg.colorado.gov/
Tony Gagliardi
NFIB/CO State Director
