E-BIKE Tax Rebates
This reporter went back to listen to the Finance Committee hearing where this fiasco was approved and found that there was actually a legislator who informed everyone exactly what would happen. It's actually no fun being Cassandra in the Capitol constantly . . . foresight is resented not appreciated...
But hey, $6M+ for free Ebikes . . . yet we couldn't find $300K for disabled kids . . .
"Criticism over the program's structural design is not new. When the tax credit was initially debated before the Colorado House Finance Committee in April 2023, Democratic State Representative Bob Marshall raised concerns about potential abuse.
“What would stop someone from wanting to pick out 10 free bikes and taking them down to San Diego and selling them for $500 a piece?” Marshall asked during the 2023 hearing.
Years later, Steve On Your Side found free Bear Trail Bikes appeared listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace for the entire amount of the state rebate – and sometimes more.
Marshall called the policy flawed from the start.
“It was the poster child for bad tax policy,” he said. “No good thought was put into these at all, so no, it was not surprising, but it was very disappointing and depressing to see it go into effect.”
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