The Colorado Chamber has added two new bills to its “Wallet Watchdog” campaign, an initiative identifying proposals in the 2025 Legislative Session that will create new costs and increase consumer prices for Coloradans.
HB 1296 is essentially a tax increase on companies and consumers that currently benefit from certain tax credits under state law. The bill would subject all software to the sales tax, modify the regional home office tax credit, cap the enterprise zone tax credit at $2 million while excluding certain industries, and limit the business personal property tax credit, among other adjustments. By removing opportunities for tax relief, these changes would directly and indirectly increase costs for Coloradans across the board.
HB 1297 would increase health insurance premiums for individuals who receive health insurance through their employer. It raises fees on private market insurance to boost funds for a program called the Health Affordability Insurance Enterprise, which helps support the state’s health exchange, reinsurance program, and insurance for undocumented immigrants. Under the bill, Coloradans on certain employer-sponsored insurance plans would be paying for a program they largely do not benefit from. Insurers estimate that policyholders could expect to see an annual premium increase of $250 for families across all health plans.
The “Wallet Watchdog” campaign involves advocacy against legislation by the Chamber’s lobby team, grassroots action alerts, and social media engagement. The Colorado Chamber will continue to monitor legislation introduced in the 2025 legislative session and will update the “Wallet Watchdog” list as bills move through the legislative process.
Visit www.cochamber.com/walletwatchdog for updates.