Denver Gazette’s Marissa Ventrelli reports that Advance Colorado has kicked off a campaign to qualify a 2026 ballot measure that would repeal—and bar future—state taxes on overtime pay and tips, aligning Colorado policy with recent federal tax changes.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Tip the scales: Advance Colorado wants to strip state income tax from gratuities—because waiting tables shouldn’t come with a tariff on your livelihood.
- Overtime ouch: Legislators forced Coloradans to count OT as taxable income this session; now voters may get to veto that pay dock.
- Polis’s special spree: Rumor has it Gov. Polis will summon a special session to ratchet up fees and taxes—because if he can’t balance the budget, he’ll nickle-and-dime you instead.
- Sign-and-submit: Backers must clear the Title Board and amass signatures by next year to land this measure on the ballot.
- Fields fights back: Michael Fields and his taxpayer-champ outfit are playing offense—protecting tips and OT from the revenue hunters in the Statehouse.
My Bottom Line
Let’s get real: Polis and his legislative majority don’t have a revenue shortage—they have a spending addiction. When your state starts eyeing your waitress’s tip jar and your firefighter’s OT check, you know the spending spigot’s cracked wide open. Instead of curbing runaway growth, they’d rather push new fees and taxes on the folks who can least afford it.
Enter Advance Colorado and Michael Fields, who see the writing on the budget wall: Coloradans will flee if every extra dollar earned is siphoned off by Olympia. Blocking taxes on tips and overtime isn’t a gimmick—it’s a stand for common-sense limits on government reach. If the governor calls a “special” session just to raid service industry paychecks, let’s remind him: democracy means voters ultimately decide when enough is enough. And yes, we’ll defend every tip, every hour of overtime, and every hardworking family’s right to keep what they earn—without another dime of legislative pilfering.
