… and thanks go out to the House Democratic press shop for handing us that headline — via their press release this morning touting House Bill 1216. The bipartisan measure creates a “sales and use tax simplification task force” — essentially, an effort to simplify the complicated rates and rules of sales-tax collection for the state’s small businesses.

The three-year task force will study and report annually to lawmakers on ways to streamline local sales tax rates and collection across Colorado. It passed the state House today.

The House Democrats’ press statement explains:

In Colorado, the same product is subject to myriad different local sales tax rates, depending on the home address of the purchaser. Every merchant who collects sales taxes is required to have a license from every jurisdiction to which the merchant remits sales taxes. Witnesses testified in committee that computation of local sales taxes across the state is so time- and labor-intensive that many smaller companies try to ignore the law or shun statewide sales efforts, stunting their growth potential.

The proposal is sponsored in the House by Arvada state Reps. Tracy Kraft-Tharp, a Democrat, and Lang Sias, a Republican.

The press release quotes Kraft-Tharp:

“A simpler, fairer and more predictable system would save time, money and headaches for businesses all across Colorado.”