FISCAL - Publications Archives - Page 3 of 9

Will increasing Colorado’s top income tax bracket by 27 percent affect incomes?0
- August 6, 2013
At present, everyone in Colorado pays the same marginal income tax rate, 4.63 cents out of every additional taxable dollar earned. Colorado officials and their allied interest groups support a constitutional amendment both to increase the state’s income tax and to create two tax brackets. They say the additional funding will improve K-12 education, although
READ MORE
Denver’s proposed disposable bag ‘fee’ obviously a tax 0
- August 5, 2013
Members of the Denver City Council are proposing an ordinance that would impose a 5-cent charge on disposable (paper and plastic) bags used to carry purchases at point of sale at grocery and convenience stores with “over 1500 square feet” of retail space. Proponents call this bag charge a “fee.” But with even a little
READ MORE
The Colorado Government Pension System Introduction and Basic Organization 0
- April 22, 2013
Colorado’s Public Employee Retirement Association (PERA) is the State’s largest pension plan, with more than 483,000 members as of 2011. Government contributions exceeded $1 billion in FY2011.
READ MORE

A Thumbnail Guide to Colorado State Government’s Spending Problem 0
- February 26, 2013
Colorado state government has a spending problem. Although inflation-adjusted per capita personal income in Colorado is still below its 2003 level, state spending has risen every year since 1999. State tax revenue has risen, but it cannot keep up with the spending.
READ MORE
Colorado’s Competitive Standing to Attract Business 0
- February 22, 2013
This paper explores a compilation of Colorado rankings from the “2013 State and Business Tax Climate Index.”
READ MORE
Preventing Bankruptcy in State and Local Pension Plans in Colorado 0
- August 22, 2012
State and local governments report the funding status of their pension plans in financial statements following standards set by the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Historically, those standards allowed state and local governments to use an actuarial model and to discount liabilities based on the long-term yield on the assets held in the pension fund. The Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA) uses an 8 percent discount rate comparable to that used in most state and local pension plans. GASB also allowed state and local governments to use a smoothing technique to calculate the funding status of the plans. With this smoothing technique, losses incurred on assets in one year could be averaged over several years.
READ MORE

Contribute