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Bill to change tax income passes first House committee

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Bill to change tax income passes first House committee


Taxes aren’t the most exciting things to talk about, but it could be good news for some taxpayers if House Bill 252 goes through.

SANTA FE, N.M. – Taxes aren’t the most exciting things to talk about, but it could be good news for some taxpayers if House Bill 252 goes through. 

The current state income tax breakdown has five brackets. Anyone making $16,000 to $210,000 a year are paying the same income tax rate. 

Joint filers have an even bigger range of $24,000 to $315,000 at 4.9%. Some lawmakers want to break up those brackets. 

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“This tax proposal, which is the same thing as last year, takes into account that we are looking to achieve the best outcome for those that are at the lower to middle of the tax income brackets,” said state Rep. Derrick Lente. 

Here are the proposed changes:

There would be more brackets for joint filers, and adds a 4.3% rate. The brackets are spread out more evenly, and there’s a lower tax rate for the state’s lowest earners. It’s the same thing for individual filers.

The average income in New Mexico is around $30,000. Right now, that puts you in the second-highest tax bracket at 4.9%.  This bill would drop you two brackets to 4.3%. 

The bill unanimously passed its first House committee Monday. Last year, it had bipartisan support all the way to the governor’s desk, where she vetoed it. 

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Sponsors are hoping for a different outcome this session.

“She is the one that killed it last year, and so I can say that I’ve talked with staff of the governors. And so at this point in time, I have no indication that she could not appreciate giving tax incentives for working class New Mexicans,” said Lente. 

KOB 4 spoke with a tax expert Monday. He says this current structure has been in place since 2003, and it’s pretty much a flat tax system where most people are paying the same rate, which hurts lower earners more.

What he really liked about the new layout is there are no “losers” as he put it, meaning no one’s taxes increase. But it does have one downside.

“No one would be offended by this bill, or almost no one is just, you know, it comes with a price tag. It’s probably the right thing to do in terms of restructuring our brackets, that that makes some sense,” said Richard Anklam, president and executive director of the New Mexico Tax Research Institute.

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That price tag is an approximate $180 million in income tax the state would not get next year. 

The Legislative Finance Committee already determined lawmakers have a $200 million to $300 million range in lost taxes before it becomes troublesome. This proposal fits those parameters, but there’s not much wiggle room. 



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New Mexico

Grants cancels Christmas parade due to shootings

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Grants cancels Christmas parade due to shootings


GRANTS, N.M. – The City of Grants is canceling this year’s annual Christmas light parade, citing the safety of the public and their own officers.

Dozens of floats were supposed to roll down Santa Fe Avenue on Saturday night, but Grants police are holding off until next year after three incidents where someone shot at law enforcement officers.

“It was definitely a difficult decision, but due to the incident that took place on December 8, where law enforcement was shot at in the area of Santa Fe Avenue, we made that decision to protect the citizens of Grants,” says Grants Police Chief Maxine Monte.

She says a New Mexico State Police officer was shot at while making a traffic stop. The officer walked away uninjured, but this was too much for the chief.

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“We’ve had three different incidents where law enforcement was shot at. One was May of 2025, the other one was August of 2025, and then the recent event of December 8 of 2025,” says Monte.

It’s not a risk the chief wants to take, and points out people would be standing exactly where the last shooting happened.

“We have a lot of citizens that attend our parade, and our main concern was that they were out in the open in the middle of the night, and in the same area that our latest shooting took place.”

Grant residents will be able to see the floats during the day on Saturday. But even some daylight isn’t convincing some residents.

“I’ll be staying home,” said Amy Brigdon. “There’s too many people in the world that want to see bad things happen to other people. I’m not one of them.”

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Police still don’t have a suspect for this week’s attempted shooting. Anyone with information is asked to get in touch with the Grants Police Department.



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New Mexico

Colorado wolf rereleased in Grand County after crossing into New Mexico

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Colorado wolf rereleased in Grand County after crossing into New Mexico


Colorado Parks and Wildlife rereleased a wolf into Grand County this week after it had traveled into New Mexico, according to a news release.

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish captured gray wolf 2403 and returned the animal to Colorado.

Colorado wildlife officials decided to release the wolf in Grand County yesterday because of the proximity to “an unpaired female gray wolf,” nearby prey populations and distance from livestock, according to the release.

“Gray wolf 2403 has been returned to Colorado and released in a location where it can best contribute to CPW’s efforts to establish a self-sustaining wolf population while concurrently attempting to minimize potential wolf-related livestock conflicts,” said acting director of CPW Laura Clellan, according to the release.

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The wolf was once a member of the Copper Creek pack but departed from it this fall.

A memorandum of understanding between Colorado and Arizona, New Mexico and Utah requires that any gray wolves that leave Colorado and enter those states be returned. That was created in part to maintain the integrity of a Mexican wolf recovery program.



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New Mexico

New Mexico man sentenced to nearly 20 years for distributing meth

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New Mexico man sentenced to nearly 20 years for distributing meth


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A judge sentenced a New Mexico man to nearly 20 years in prison for distributing meth and having guns in his possession to use while doing so.

Court records indicate 43-year-old David Amaya sold meth from a trailer on his parents’ property in Anthony throughout July and August 2024. Agents executed a search warrant Aug. 22 and found 1.18 kilograms of meth, two firearms and ammunition in the trailer and a makeshift bathroom.

Amaya pleaded guilty to possession of meth with intent to distribute it. A judge sentenced him to 235 months in prison.

Once he is out, Amaya will face five years of supervised release.

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The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office and the Las Cruces Metro Narcotics Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Williams prosecuted it.



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