All Entries in the "Consumer Issues" Category
Colorado owes taxpayers a total of 1.7 billion in TABOR refunds
The Colorado state government owes taxpayers a total of $1.7 billion in refunds mandated under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. The state collected roughly $1.4 billion more in revenue during the 2024 Fiscal Year than allowed under TABOR, according to a state audit. The state already has roughly $290 million in outstanding TABOR refund liability […]
2025 Colorado health Insurance premiums rising at three times the rate of inflation
With open enrollment for health insurance set to begin in two weeks, Colorado’s Division of Insurance has finalized rates for premiums in the individual and small group markets. Premium increases in both markets for 2025 are set to rise at more than three times the rate of inflation forecast for next year. Individual premium increases […]
August 2024 Sales and Use Tax for Lamar – collected in September
August Sales and Use Tax Collected in September 2024 2024 2023 Difference from 2023 to 2024 % of Difference City Sales Tax Collected (3%) $395,792.07 $388,449.82 $7,342.25 1.89% Use Tax Collected $45,059.43 $41,345.09 $3,714.34 8.98% Other Collections Penalties/interest etc -$188.12 $283.00 -$471.112 -166.47% Total Sales/Use Tax Collections $440,663.38 $430,077.91 $10,585.47 2.46% Vendor’s Commission […]
Medicare Part D participants will have payment options in 2025
CMS released additional guidance regarding Medicare Prescription Payment Plan (MPPP) outreach and education, www.medicarerights.org reported July 25, 2024. The MPPP, sometimes referred to as “smoothing,” was established in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and allows Medicare beneficiaries with Part D to opt into an alternative payment structure for their cost-sharing for covered Part D medications. Starting in 2025, […]
Xcel gas bills to drop almost 12% for rest of 2024 as wholesale gas prices remain low
Colorado’s largest utility will pass on savings as it seeks a permanent rate increase starting in February A combination of growing natural gas production and mild weather, leading to a buildup of stored reserves, will help lower monthly bills for Xcel Energy residential and small commercial customers by as much as 12% for the last […]
City of Lamar July Sales and Use Tax July 2024
Sales and Use taxes for July of 2024, collected in August, show an overall increase of 7.29% from last year, a difference of $30,332.06. Year to date numbers increased as well, by 8.13%, or $282,022.65. Restaurant and liquor stores saw a decline from last year in July’s numbers, as did other retail and hotel/motels. […]
Colorado’s homeowners insurance is 8th highest in nation
This may come as no surprise to homeowners, but the cost of Colorado’s homeowners insurance is the eighth highest in the nation, according to Bankrate, a financial services company that tracks all sorts of monthly bills. At an average of $266 per month or nearly $3,200 a year, premiums are higher here than in states […]
County assessors in Colorado offer mixed views on property tax compromise
County assessors from around the state offered their insights into the compromise legislation that lawmakers approved at the conclusion of a special session on Thursday. The product of negotiations between Gov. Jared Polis, legislators, and the groups behind a pair of ballot initiatives seeking deeper property tax cuts, House Bill 1001 is relatively similar to […]
The minimum wage in Colorado and a few local governments is going up again Jan. 1.
Brendan Hartigen brings dirty dishes into the kitchen at The Last Steep Bar & Grill on Elk Avenue in Crested Butte on Aug. 6, 2019. Sean buses tables and does whatever other tasks are given to him. (Dean Krakel, Special to The Colorado Sun) The minimum wage in Colorado and a few local governments […]
June 2024 Sales and Use Tax Report for City of Lamar
The City of Lamar’s most recent Revenue Report includes June Sales and Use Tax collected in July, 2024. City sales tax collected (3%) is up $20,211.74, an increase of 4.67% for the same month in 2023. Use tax collected is also up $2,494.68, an increase of 5.13% over 2023. Other collections, which include penalties and […]
Cost of Living is Coloradans’ biggest concern
The Colorado Health Foundation’s annual Pulse Poll this year finds Coloradans believe they face a number of significant challenges — beyond rising cost-of-living concerns — that include drug overdoses, immigration and natural disasters. Still, the single most concern for nearly nine out of 10 respondents was the growing burden of household expenses. Affordability worries, shared […]
Signatures submitted to add Colorado property tax initiative to November ballot
Proposition 108, the Citizens’ Tax Cut, looks to reduce assessment rates for property owners A ballot initiative to reduce property tax assessment rates has received enough signatures to qualify for the November 2024 ballot, its sponsors announced Tuesday. Proposition 108, also known as the Citizens’ Tax Cut, has submitted nearly 200,000 signatures to the Secretary […]
Colorado voter-approved “Healthy Meals for All” facing out-of-control costs
Photo by USDA When Colorado voters approved “Healthy School Meals for All” two years ago, organizers behind the ballot initiative estimated the program would cost $115 million in its first year. The actual costs significantly exceeded that — $166 million — leaving state lawmakers scrambling with the financial fallout. “I don’t know why the costs […]
April Sales & Use Tax collected in May, 2024
The 2024 total Sales & Use Tax collected for April was $468,022.33, an increase of $63,664.77 over 2023’s $404,357.56 (15.74%). Year to date, total Sales & Use Tax collections are up 9.68%, or $208,837.80 over last year. The 2023 total TYD number was $2,157,281.92, compared to this year’s total of $2,336,119.73. Sales/Use Tax Revenue comparison […]
ARPA June 2024 summary of business operations
BUSINESS OPERATIONS – June 2024 Seven Students Receive Scholarship Funding from ARPA and its Member Municipalities: In 2000, ARPA and its Member communities established a College Scholarship Program that awards a $1,400 scholarship to one high school senior in each of the high schools served by ARPA members. The Program is administered through the member municipalities […]
