Op-Ed by Loren Furman for Colorado Politics
Amendment 87’s supporters say a graduated income-tax system would impact only a small number of “wealthy” Coloradans. But that claim ignores the broader economic consequences for local employers, family businesses, farms, ranches and the communities that depend on them.
Colorado’s small businesses sustain Main Street and rural economies across the state. If small businesses can no longer afford to invest, hire, expand or simply keep their doors open, the consequences will reach far beyond their bottom line. There will be fewer jobs and local services and less support for schools, nonprofits and community institutions that sustain our communities.
Our organizations represent thousands of small businesses across the state, and we hear the same concerns every day: Colorado is too expensive to run a business and too expensive for employees too. Rising insurance premiums, supply costs, energy and diesel prices, regulatory complexity and the cost of living are crushing our ability to grow and invest in the future. Amendment 87 would make it even harder to hire, expand and stay competitive at exactly the wrong time.
Read more here.