Lawmakers should deliver Colorado families a back-to-school sales tax holiday
By Ty Winter
Raising kids should not feel like a battle against the cash register, but that is what a lot of Colorado families are living through. Anyone who buys groceries, pays rent, or tries to keep a growing child in shoes that fit knows it. Prices go up. Paychecks do not. Parents are doing everything they can, and it still feels like they are getting squeezed.
Back-to-school season makes it worse. We are not talking about fancy extras. We are talking about backpacks that do not last a full year, binders that break, clothes kids outgrow before they wear out, and teacher supply lists that seem to get longer every fall.
The National Retail Federation says families are spending nearly $900 getting kids ready for school. That might be manageable for some, but for a lot of Colorado families, especially in rural towns where wages are not keeping up, that hit can throw off a whole month of their budget.
Getting a child ready to learn should not come with a tax bill attached. That is why we are bringing back a bill to create Colorado’s first back-to-school tax holiday. It is simple, targeted, and gives families a few days of breathing room when they need it most.
