Colorado Politics

Marshall fire victims ask state leaders to help waive use taxes

Two volunteer groups representing Marshall fire victims looking to rebuild are asking state representatives to help them waive use taxes that in some cases amount to tens of thousands of dollars in fees they say they’ve already paid and should not have to shell out a second time.

“We’re not building new homes. We’re rebuilding our old houses,” said Marshall Together spokesperson Tawnya Somaroo.

By law, a municipality could not waive the fee but could rebate the money, which generally is collected as part of a permit fee. 

Other victims of natural disasters in other states have told Marshall Together and Superior Rising that it’s not unheard of to waive the fee.

Somaroo said the two local groups met last week with a group called “After the Fire,” composed of victims of fires in Northern California and Oregon.

“They told us that most jurisdictions in their areas waived their fees, and we’re hoping we can do the same,” said Somaroo.

Use taxes are collected by the city, county and state one lives in, plus RTD fees. For Somaroo, those use taxes will add up to at least $30,000 on top of what it takes to rebuild her Louisville home. She says most people are already underinsured, and these extra fees add to the problem.

“For most entities, this is money they weren’t counting on,” said Somaroo.

According to the state Department of Insurance, 92% of Marshall fire victims were underinsured.

Superior waived its use taxes for fire-impacted residents not long after Colorado’s most devastating wildfire swept through Boulder County on Dec. 30.

Somauroo’s home before the Marshall Fire
Tawnya Somauroo
Tags

PREV

PREVIOUS

Man who changed mind on DUI blood draw deserves new trial, appeals court says

A man convicted of driving under the influence in Arapahoe County refused at one point to take a blood alcohol test to determine his level of intoxication. But when he changed his mind, the test did not happen, nor did jurors learn that he ultimately agreed to a blood draw. Now, the state’s Court of […]

NEXT

NEXT UP

Colorado to automatically seal non-violent criminal records

More than one million Coloradans with non-violent criminal records will soon have their records automatically sealed – thanks to a bill signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday. Scheduled to go into effect in August, Senate Bill 99 implements an automatic sealing process for non-violent criminal records. The new law applies to those who […]


Welcome Back.

Streak: 9 days i

Stories you've missed since your last login:

Stories you've saved for later:

Recommended stories based on your interests:

Edit my interests