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Colorado taxpayers will receive an $800 refund on their state income taxes

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Colorado taxpayers will receive an $800 refund on their state income taxes


Coloradan taxpayers can each expect an extra $800 back when they file their state income tax returns early next year, state officials said Wednesday.

The refund is based on revenue collected above the cap set by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, the state constitutional amendment passed by voters in 1992 to limit the growth of government. Unlike in 2022, when taxpayers received a check in the mail, people will collect the money through their tax filings in the form of higher refunds or reduced tax bills.

Overall, the state is refunding nearly $3.7 billion in over-collected revenue. The $800 per taxpayer is slightly lower than prior projections as a result of legislation passed during the General Assembly’s special session in November, when lawmakers also voted to give out flat TABOR refunds to everyone. The session was called to provide relief on property taxes and housing costs.

Typically, the state sets varying TABOR rebate amounts based on income, with higher-income households receiving higher shares because they paid more taxes.

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Equal refunds will be higher for Coloradans who report incomes of less than $104,000 — an estimated 62% of filers — than those they’d receive under the six-tier system. They will net about $250 more for households with less than $51,000 in income and about $75 more for those reporting $51,000 to $104,000 in income.

An analysis by nonpartisan legislative staff found the flat refunds would disproportionately benefit women, people with a disability, Hispanic and Latino Coloradans, Black Coloradans and people of another race or who are multiracial, since those groups are more likely to live in lower-income households.

During the special session, lawmakers also increased the Earned Income Tax Credit that low-income households receive. The state matches up to 50% of the federal tax credit, the amount of which depends on a person’s income. Legislators diverted about $182.5 million from TABOR refunds to pay for that.

State economists for the legislative branch and the governor’s office predict TABOR refunds will continue for the next several fiscal years, though not at such historic amounts.

The legislative economists forecast a surplus of about $1.8 billion in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, and again in the 2024-25 fiscal year. The 2025-26 fiscal year is forecast to have a $2 billion surplus.

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Economists for the governor’s office expect lower surpluses — about $1.65 billion, $1.3 billion and $1.4 billion, respectively.

Surpluses are determined by the TABOR revenue cap, which is set using a formula based on population growth plus inflation.

Overall, state economists said Colorado’s economy and the national outlook as a whole were on firmer footing than just a few months ago, but that uncertainty always exists.

“Compared to where we were a year ago, I’d argue we’re living in an upside scenario,” said Bryce Cooke, deputy director for the Colorado Office of State Planning and Budgeting.

But state economists warned that ongoing international uncertainty, persistent inflation and high interest rates could dampen future growth.

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“The global economy is pretty fragile right now,” Greg Sobetski, chief economist for the Legislative Council Staff, told the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee Wednesday. “The U.S. economy is strong relative to what’s going on around the world at the moment, (though) the U.S. economy remains susceptible to shocks that originate from elsewhere.”

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Denver, CO

SUV stolen in Denver with foster kittens inside

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SUV stolen in Denver with foster kittens inside


DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado cat rescue group is scrambling after its co-founder said two foster kittens were stolen, along with the vehicle they were sitting in, on Monday morning in Denver.

Kris Meding, co-founder of Colorado Feline Foster Rescue, said the foster kittens were sitting inside a “socializing pouch” inside a sport utility vehicle, on Washington Street between 11th and 12th avenues. She said the foster parent had started the vehicle and briefly stepped away.

A Colorado cat rescue group is scrambling after its co-founder said two foster kittens were stolen, along with the vehicle they were sitting in, on Monday morning in Denver. (Colorado Feline Foster Rescue)

Within a few moments, the vehicle and kittens were gone.

“Stepped out of the car for a minute to grab something else, came back and the car was gone with her purse, her phone and the kittens in it,” Meding said.

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The vehicle is a 2005 Toyota 4Runner, license plate BQAX60. Meding said both felines are chipped and were rescued from Carlsbad, New Mexico.

A 2005 Toyota 4Runner, license plate BQAX60
A 2005 Toyota 4Runner, license plate BQAX60, was stolen from Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with two foster kittens inside. (Colorado Feline Foster Rescue)

She said the foster parent has filed a report with the Denver Police Department.

Colorado Feline Foster Rescue has 170 cats in foster homes. Currently, the all-volunteer organization has 90-100 foster families. Last year, the group adopted out 1,200 cats.

For more information, please contact info@coloradofelinefosterrescue.org or call 303-888-7238.



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Denver, CO

Over 400 flights delayed Tuesday amid high winds at Denver International Airport

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Over 400 flights delayed Tuesday amid high winds at Denver International Airport


More than 400 flights were delayed Tuesday afternoon at Denver International Airport as high winds blew across the area, according to flight tracking data from FlightAware.

There were 406 flights delayed and five canceled as of 5:20 p.m. as wind gusts at the airport hit 43 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., 70 flights were delayed and one was canceled, according to live flight tracking by FlightAware’s Misery Map.

United, Alaska Airlines, Southwest, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Key Lime Air, SkyWest, WestJet, American Airlines and Air Canada all had delayed or canceled flights.

Southwest had nearly half of the delayed flights, with 168 delays and one cancellation. United delayed 128 flights, according to FlightAware.

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Denver, CO

Did you know: Almost $1 million in coins pass through the Denver Mint every day

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Did you know: Almost $1 million in coins pass through the Denver Mint every day


DENVER (KDVR) – From the outside, the Denver Mint may be just another two-story government office across from Civic Center Park. But inside the Cherokee Street building, staff and machinery are busy pressing metal coils into millions of coins per day.

According to the Mint, it’s one of two facilities responsible for making circulating coins in the United States – making it a huge part of the nation’s coin flow.

According to Tom Fesing with the Denver Mint, the facility produces roughly 4.5 million coins every 24 hours. Fesing estimates that about $750,000 to $1 million has gone through the facility each day this year.

That said, the Mint can’t exactly predict how much is going to be produced throughout the year as the number of coins depends on the orders the Mint receives monthly from the central bank, the Federal Reserve System, Fesing said.

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Despite the millions of dollars in coins passing through, Fesing said the coin with the lowest value, the penny, has historically had the most production.

Those numbers depend on how many coins are needed for cash transactions in the economy, according to Fesing.

“When someone gets back a cent in change, what happens to them? They usually end up in piggy banks, or in a jar, and they’re not introduced into circulation as fast as, let’s say, a quarter or a dime,” Fesing said.

While the Mint can’t predict the numbers for the end of this year, it has produced almost 1.3 billion coins this year, with almost 800 million being pennies. In 2023, the Mint produced around 5.65 billion coins for the entire year.

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