Tax holiday

April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 28, 2007 at midnight

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State Rep. Mike Kopp figures the sales tax on the $1,000 he spent for back-to-school gear this fall could have bought another pair of shoes for his kids.

With that in mind, the father of four wants to give working parents with school-age children a tax break at the start of every school year.

The Littleton Republican and Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, plan to introduce legislation next session to create a sales tax holiday for the back-to-school shopping season.

For four days, back-to-school items under $100 would be exempt from sales tax levied by the state and, perhaps, cities and counties.

Items that would be tax-free could include notebooks, pencils, computer software, footwear, clothing and books on school reading lists.

"This isn't going to go for -iPods and fur coats," Kopp said. "This is for back-to-school gear. This is a tax break to help working families get their kids back to school. Every little bit helps."

Kopp said cities and counties could opt out of the sales tax holiday under the bill. But local governments say it may not be that simple.

Under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, local governments and entities that rely heavily on sales tax revenue would have to seek voter approval to exempt themselves, the Colorado Municipal League says.

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