Raising kids should not feel like a battle against the cash register, but that is what a lot of Colorado families are living through. Anyone who buys groceries, pays rent, or tries to keep a growing child in shoes that fit knows it. Prices go up. Paychecks do not. Parents are doing everything they can, and it still feels like they are getting squeezed.
Back-to-school season makes it worse. We are not talking about fancy extras. We are talking about backpacks that do not last a full year, binders that break, clothes kids outgrow before they wear out, and teacher supply lists that seem to get longer every fall.
The National Retail Federation says families are spending nearly $900 getting kids ready for school. That might be manageable for some, but for a lot of Colorado families, especially in rural towns where wages are not keeping up, that hit can throw off a whole month of their budget.
Getting a child ready to learn should not come with a tax bill attached. That is why we are bringing back a bill to create Colorado’s first back-to-school tax holiday. It is simple, targeted, and gives families a few days of breathing room when they need it most.
Here is what it does. During the last weekend of July 2026, and again in 2027 and 2028, there would be no state sales and use tax on basic back-to-school items. The exemption covers:
• Clothing at $100 or less
• School supplies at $50 or less
• Learning aids at 30 dollars or less
That means families could buy jeans, gym shoes for PE, notebooks, pencils, backpacks, calculators, science workbooks, art supplies, and other items students use every day, without paying tax. These are not luxury items. They are not nice to have purchases. They are the tools every child needs to show up on day one ready to learn.
A tax holiday might not sound like a big deal to political insiders, but to a parent juggling bills, it matters. Anyone who has had to choose between school shoes and gas money knows that even a little break can make a difference.
Our bill also respects the fact that cities and counties are not all the same. It lets local communities choose to participate in the same holiday if they want. Lawmakers who represent rural communities understand that local governments do not have endless cash available. This bill does not force them to join in, but it gives them the option to help their families if they can.
Some might ask what this costs. That is a fair question. The reality is that the impact on the state budget is small, especially compared to what families are facing. And unlike many complicated government policies, families will feel this one immediately. It is not a grant they have to apply for. It is not a program that takes months to set up. It is money they do not have to spend, right at the register.
Other states have been doing this for years because it helps. Families plan for it. Local stores benefit from it. Kids walk into school better prepared. Colorado should not be the state that lags behind common sense.
This bill is about priorities. We cannot fix every cost-of-living problem overnight, but we can at least stop taxing parents for trying to get their kids ready for school. We can make one stressful time of year a little easier. We can show that the legislature sees Colorado families and is willing to help in practical ways.
Colorado families deserve a break. This back-to-school tax holiday gives them one.
Ty Winter, a Republican, represents District 47 in the Colorado House of Representatives. His district includes Las Animas, Baca, Prowers, Bent, Otero, Crowley and Kiowa counties, along with parts of Pueblo and Huerfano counties. Byron H. Pelton represents state Senate District 1, which includes all or part of Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, and Yuma counties.
Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.