In the whirlwind of recent political developments from Washington, we want to highlight a growing and powerful coalition of Colorado-based organizations who are taking a stand in the fight for tax fairness. The Colorado Fiscal Institute has sent a bold letter to our full Congressional Delegation with a clear message: Do not support any more tax giveaways to the super-rich and massive corporations.

But this is not just a Colorado issue. Across the country, hundreds of state-based organizers, union members, educators, women’s rights activists, healthcare advocates, and more are joining forces. Together, they’ve sent letters to their own congressional delegations in 19 key states, sending a powerful message that they will not stand by while tax handouts continue to enrich the wealthy. This growing resistance movement for tax justice is far-reaching—combining letters with rallies, protests, meetings, phone campaigns, social media ads, and other activations to ensure their voices are heard and to build greater opposition to tax breaks for the wealthy.

This moment is particularly critical, as organizers and constituents rally against efforts to slash federal aid for vital programs while pushing through tax legislation that benefits only the already privileged. Read the letter below and take action.

Monday, February 10, 2025

Dear Senator Bennet, Senator Hickenlooper, Representative DeGette, Representative Neguse, Representative Hurd, Representative Boebert,  Representative Crank, Representative Crow, Representative Pettersen, and Representative Evans, 

Congratulations on your election to the 119th Congress. As you know, the incoming Administration and Congressional Majority have made plans to prioritize extending and potentially expanding the 2017 Trump tax law (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, TCJA) that is set to expire. We urge you to use the expiration of these provisions as an opportunity to address long-standing inequities with our tax code and to raise more revenue to meet our country’s current obligations and address critical unmet needs.  

No matter what you look like or where you’re from, we all believe in caring for our families and community. People in our state work hard and are watching what happens in Congress. We give our all as teachers, delivery drivers, and nurses, volunteering at the local food bank or neighborhood cleanup. Regardless of who we voted for in November, Americans were not voting to give another tax cut to the wealthy, or for another corporate tax cut.   

Clearly, the 2017 tax law failed and there’s no mandate to repeat the mistakes of the past. 

• The proponents of these tax cuts said big corporate tax cuts would trickle down to big increases in wages for workers – but the typical worker got nothing from it. 
• They said the bill would pay for itself – it actually increased the deficit by $2 trillion. 
• They said the tax cuts would create jobs but the evidence doesn’t show that.

If Congress decides to give new corporate tax cuts and extend other provisions of the TCJA, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget says it would increase deficits by about $7.5 trillion over 10 years. We also know that President-elect Trump’s tax plan will favor the rich. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that it will lead “to a tax cut for the richest 5 percent of Americans and a tax increase for the other 95 percent of Americans.”

Americans want you to meet the moment and put our future ahead of tax cuts for the wealthy and well connected. Colorado residents prioritize funding services and taxing the wealthy by a wide, bipartisan margin. According to recent research: 

• 81% of Colorado residents favor raising taxes on wealthiest households.
• 81% of Colorado residents favor raising taxes on $400k+ households.
• 73% of Colorado residents favor increasing corporate tax accountability. 

Our collective organizations work every day to reduce poverty and racial disparities, expand economic opportunity, create good union jobs, and ensure Coloradans have access to the tools they need to thrive. Our mission is to move Colorado and the nation toward justice and equity, and that speaks directly to the importance of how Congress acts on taxes next year.

The tax code is one of our most powerful tools to shape the economy but has too often been used to divide us. For too long, it has been slanted towards the wealthy and large corporations, and the economy, our country, and communities and families in Colorado have suffered as a result. The expiration of key provisions of the Trump tax bill in 2025 is a rare opportunity to unite the vast majority of people who want to correct long-standing inequity in our tax code, and help produce an economy that works for all Americans.

Please feel free to reach out to Caroline Nutter with questions at nutter@coloradofiscal.org.
Sincerely,

• Colorado Fiscal Institute
• All Families Deserve a Chance Coalition
• The Bell Policy Center
• Cobalt
• Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger
• Colorado Civic Engagement Roundtable
• Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
• Colorado Consumer Health Initiative
• Colorado Education Association
• Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR)
• Colorado People’s Alliance
• Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition
• Front Range Pediatric Therapies
• Hunger Free Colorado
• Metro Caring
• New Era Colorado
• Rocky Mountain Values
• Small Business Majority
• Soul 2 Soul Sisters
• Spring institute for Intercultural Learning
• Together Colorado
• United for a New Economy
• Young Invincibles