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Committee advances bill to allow business name search in state sales‑tax database; $10,000 fiscal note noted
Summary
Senate Finance advanced SB 25018, which would add a business‑name search capability to the state's sales and use tax online system; the committee adopted the bill and sent it to Appropriations. Stakeholders said the change would make compliance easier; a $10,000 fiscal note was mentioned.
Senate Bill 25018, which would add a business‑name lookup function to Colorado’s sales and use tax online repository, was advanced by the Senate Finance Committee and referred to the Joint Budget Committee/Appropriations after a unanimous committee vote.
The bill would allow users of the state’s sales tax system to search by business name in addition to the current numeric account lookup. Sponsors and witnesses said the change will make the system easier to use for vendors, purchasers and auditors. Senator Kipp said the lookup would help people who "know our names and not like our numbers when we are thinking about things." The sponsor noted a fiscal analyst estimate that the change would cost about $10,000 to implement.
Witnesses from business and tax practitioner communities urged support. Michael Gifford of the Associated General Contractors and the Simplify Colorado coalition said the change would increase efficiency for businesses and tax researchers. Judy Vordren, a state and local tax CPA and attorney, and Laura Williams, sales and use tax analyst for Martin Marietta, described how the absence of a name search forces vendors and buyers to rely on account numbers that many users do not readily know.
Vordren and Williams compared Colorado’s tools to other states with public registries. Vordren pointed to Texas and the Secretary of State business lookup as examples of how a searchable public record can validate whether a vendor is properly licensed and help buyers determine exemption status. Williams said her company, which supplies materials to contractors across Colorado, would find a business name search "invaluable" for confirming exempt sales documentation at the point of sale.
Senator Kipp moved SB 25018 to Appropriations with a favorable recommendation; committee members recorded a unanimous vote and the bill will proceed to the appropriations process for further review of the fiscal impacts.
Votes at a glance: SB 25018 moved to Appropriations with a favorable recommendation; amendment phase had no changes and the committee vote was unanimous.
