Issue Briefs The Impact of Tax Increment Financing on School Finance Public K-12 education in Colorado is financed through state and local sources. The school finance formula in state law establishes a statewide total funding level. The difference between this amount and the local share determines the state’s school finance obligation. The local share is paid primarily from property taxes. Exemptions, policy adjustments, or other factors that reduce or slow the growth of property taxes requires the state to increase its share of K-12 education funding. Release date: 2025-10-01 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Education & School Finance (Pre & K-12) Fiscal Policy & Taxes Download File
Budget Related Publications Economic Outlook Presentation September 2025 Legislative Council Staff economic outlook presentation to the Joint Budget Committee. Release date: 2025-09-22 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes State Revenue & Budget Download File
Budget Related Publications Forecast September 2025 Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2026-27. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law, legislation passed by the General Assembly affecting the forecast is described throughout the report. Release date: 2025-09-22 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes State Revenue & Budget Download File
Tax Expenditure Evaluation Report on Business Incentive Tax Expenditures Report No. 2025-TE12 Release date: 2025-09-18 Publishing Agency: Office of the State Auditor Subjects: Business & Economic Development Fiscal Policy & Taxes Download File
Budget Related Publications Forecast June 2025 Updated with OBBBA Impacts This forecast update presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2026-27. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law, legislation passed by the General Assembly affecting the forecast is described throughout the report. Release date: 2025-07-30 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes State Revenue & Budget
Tax Expenditure Evaluation Software Sales Tax Exemption Memo No. 2025-TE9 Note: A full evaluation of the exemption is available HERE. Release date: 2025-06-25 Publishing Agency: Office of the State Auditor Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes Telecommunications & Information Technology Download File
Tax Expenditure Evaluation Senior Housing Income Tax Credit Report No. 2025-TE6 Release date: 2025-06-23 Publishing Agency: Office of the State Auditor Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes Housing Download File
Budget Related Publications Forecast June 2025 Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2026-27. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law, legislation passed by the General Assembly affecting the forecast is described throughout the report. Release date: 2025-06-17 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes State Revenue & Budget Download File
Staff Publications Fiscal Note Reports (2025) Fiscal Note Data Reports show the fiscal impact of all legislation currently pending before the General Assembly at the 2025 session, based on the most recent Legislative Council Staff fiscal note. Updated reports will be posted on this page approximately weekly during the legislative session. After session, final data will be posted. Fiscal data is provided in both a sortable Excel and a printable PDF format. Each report provides a summary of the impact of all pending bills together, and detailed information for individual bills by fiscal year. Release date: 2025-06-04 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes General Assembly State Revenue & Budget Download File
Tax Expenditure Evaluation Oil and Gas Severance Tax Deduction Memo Memo No. 2025-TE8 Release date: 2025-05-30 Publishing Agency: Office of the State Auditor Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes Natural Resources & Environment Download File
Tax Expenditure Evaluation Sustainable Aviation Fuel State Incentives Memo Memo No. 2025-TE7 Release date: 2025-05-29 Publishing Agency: Office of the State Auditor Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes Transportation & Motor Vehicles Download File
Session Related Publications Fiscal Analysts for Bills During 2025 Session This document lists the LCS Fiscal Analyst assigned to work on the fiscal note for each bill and concurrent resolution introduced at the 2025 session. This list will be updated periodically throughout the session. If you need assistance, contact Bill Zepernick, Fiscal Notes Manager, at bill.zepernick@coleg.gov / 303-866-4777. Release date: 2025-05-29 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes General Assembly State Revenue & Budget Download File
Staff Publications Effective Severance Tax Rates on Oil and Gas This memorandum provides information concerning Colorado’s severance tax structure and estimated effective severance tax rates, along with a comparison of effective rates for eight other western oil and gas producing states from 2018 to 2022. Release date: 2025-04-15 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes Natural Resources & Environment Download File
Fiscal Policy & Taxes Effective Tax Rates on Oil and Natural Gas This memorandum provides information concerning Colorado’s severance tax structure and estimated effective severance tax rates, along with a comparison of effective rates for eight other western oil and gas producing states from 2018 to 2022. Release date: 2025-04-15 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes Natural Resources & Environment State Revenue & Budget Download File
Staff Publications Higher Education Enrollment and Tuition Revenue Forecast This memorandum presents the 2025 Legislative Council Staff forecast for the state public institutions of higher education. The forecast provides projections of resident and nonresident full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment and College Opportunity Fund (COF) FTE enrollment for the current fiscal year (FY 2024-25) and budget year (FY 2025-26). The forecast also includes projected tuition revenue for FY 2024-25. Release date: 2025-04-15 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes Higher Education State Revenue & Budget Download File
Staff Publications 2025 Long Bill Package Fiscal Notes This packet includes fiscal notes for bills introduced with the FY 2025-26 Long Bill, including SB 25-207 through SB 25-270. Fiscal notes for these bills are also be available individually on each bill page on the General Assembly website. Release date: 2025-04-14 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes General Assembly State Revenue & Budget Download File
Tax Expenditure Evaluation Regional Home Office Insurance Premium Tax Rate Reduction Report No. 2025-TE5 Release date: 2025-03-21 Publishing Agency: Office of the State Auditor Subjects: Business & Economic Development Fiscal Policy & Taxes Insurance Labor & Employment Download File
Budget Related Publications Forecast March 2025 Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2026-27. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law, legislation passed by the General Assembly affecting the forecast is described throughout the report. Release date: 2025-03-17 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes State Revenue & Budget Download File
Tax Expenditure Evaluation Essential Hygiene Products Exemptions Report No. 2025-TE4 Release date: 2025-03-13 Publishing Agency: Office of the State Auditor Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes Health Care & Health Insurance Download File
Staff Publications 2025 Higher Education and Tuition Forecast This memorandum presents the 2025 Legislative Council Staff forecast for the state public institutions of higher education. The forecast provides projections of resident and nonresident full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment and College Opportunity Fund (COF) FTE enrollment for the current fiscal year (FY 2024-25) and budget year (FY 2025-26). The forecast also includes projected tuition revenue for FY 2024-25. Release date: 2025-03-10 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes Higher Education State Revenue & Budget Download File
Tax Expenditure Evaluation Early Childhood Educator Credit Report No. 2025-TE3 Release date: 2025-02-25 Publishing Agency: Office of the State Auditor Subjects: Children & Domestic Matters Education & School Finance (Pre & K-12) Fiscal Policy & Taxes Download File
Budget Related Publications Understanding the State Budget - The Big Picture Each year, the General Assembly is tasked with balancing constitutional, statutory, and federal requirements with competing policy priorities, caseload pressures, and the health of the state’s economy in order to create a budget. This document is intended to serve as a primer on Colorado’s budget and some of the factors that help shape it. Release date: 2025-02-12 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes State Revenue & Budget Download File
Tax Expenditure Evaluation Rural Jump-Start Tax Expenditures Report No. 2025-TE2 Release date: 2025-02-07 Publishing Agency: Office of the State Auditor Subjects: Business & Economic Development Fiscal Policy & Taxes Download File
Staff Publications State Government Enterprises This memorandum provides information on state government enterprises under Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution, also known as the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). From FY 1993-94 through FY 2023-24, over 30 state government entities had received enterprise status for at least one fiscal year. In FY 2022-23, the most recent year for which financial data are available, enterprise revenue totaled $23.3 billion. Release date: 2025-01-22 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Fiscal Policy & Taxes State Government State Revenue & Budget Download File
Staff Publications Report on 2025 Property Tax Balancing Percentage Passed in August 2024, House Bill 24B-1001 created a property tax limit for school districts beginning with the 2025 property tax year (PTY), for which taxes are payable in 2026. The bill’s provisions limit statewide qualified local share property tax revenue, or local share total program revenue excluding certain sources or uses, by adjusting the residential assessment rate applied to school district mill levies temporarily downward if qualified revenue is expected to exceed the limit. Section 29-1-1702.5 (4)(c) C.R.S. Release date: 2025-01-16 Publishing Agency: Legislative Council Staff Subjects: Education & School Finance (Pre & K-12) Fiscal Policy & Taxes Download File