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Colorado bill exempting sales tax from credit card swipe fees advances to governor after big Capitol showdown

Coloradosun · · 946 words · By Rae Solomon; CPR News; Justin George
Small Business Relief Corporate Profit Conflict Consumer Inconvenience
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What to know about Small Business Relief

A proposal to reduce credit card swipe fees has whipped up one of the frothier lobbying fights at the State Capitol this year, pitting the banking industry against retailers, restaurants and other businesses.

Claims checked 13
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A proposal to reduce credit card swipe fees has whipped up one of the frothier lobbying fights at the State Capitol this year, pitting the banking industry against retailers, restaurants and other businesses.

Why it matters

It passed the legislature Wednesday and now heads to the governor’s desk.

Common ground

This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://coloradosun.com/2026/05/07/colorado-bill-targeting-credit-card-swipe-fee…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Fear 70% confidence
Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 5
schedule Pending 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
check_circle Corroborated 2
verified Verified 1
info
Claim 1: “Joshua Mantel, director of government affairs for the Bell Policy Center”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for 'Joshua' provided biblical and general information, not confirming the identity or role of Joshua Mantel at the Bell Policy Center.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon by John Martin, 1816 At the Jordan River, the waters parted, as they had for Moses at the Red Sea. The first battle after the crossing of the Jorda…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua
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web search NEUTRAL — Joshua Installed as Leader - After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready…
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+1&versio…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Joshua (Yehoshua in Hebrew) was Moses ’ successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land. The Bible describes Joshua as a devoted student, a saintly man, and a brilliant military commander. Jos…
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111849/jewish…
info
Claim 2: “It passed the legislature Wednesday and now heads to the governor’s desk.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results discuss other Colorado bills (marijuana, death penalty, labor bills) but do not provide information regarding the current status or passage of Senate Bill 134.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Lawmakers have introduced seventeen bills during this legislative session, most of them aimed at tightening the rules for marijuana sale and production. Governor John Hickenlooper will sign a bill tha…
https://www.westword.com/news/plant-limit-bills-pass-the-col…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Last year, Colorado Governor Jared Polis told Colorado Public Radio that if an abolition bill passed the General Assembly, he would “take that as a strong indication that those who are currently on de…
https://www.jurist.org/news/2020/02/colorado-legislature-vot…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Colorado legislature passed a politically charged pro-union bill Friday, setting up a possible veto by Gov. Jared Polis after he rejected the same measure last year.
https://www.cpr.org/2026/05/01/labor-bill-colorado-legislatu…
schedule
Claim 3: “This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 4: “Chris Sununu, president and CEO of Airlines for America”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 5: “That organization has spent more than $600,000 in the past 3 months on Facebook and Instagram ads to drum up popular opposition to the bill, according to publicly available data from the platforms’ parent company, Meta.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the Electronic Payments Coalition's ad spending on Meta platforms.
check_circle
Claim 6: “Senate Bill 134 concerns the interchange fees, or swipe fees, that merchants pay to the banks every time a customer pays with a credit card.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (a news report, Colorado Political, and NFIB) confirm that Senate Bill 134 (or 26-134) concerns credit card interchange/swipe fees paid by merchants to banks.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Senate Bill 26-134 concerns the interchange fees, or swipe fees, that merchants pay to the banks every time a customer pays with a credit card. Currently, those fees are calculated as a percentage of …
https://www.cpr.org/2026/05/06/credit-card-swipe-fees-local-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Senate Bill 26-134 would prohibit credit cards from charging businesses a transaction fee based on the sales tax amount. That is, they may not include the sales tax portion of a transaction when calcu…
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/05/01/fight-over-credi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — NFIB Colorado supports SB 134, a bipartisan bill to eliminate credit card swipe fees on sales taxes.
https://www.nfib.com/news/news/take-action-end-swipe-fees-on…
info
Claim 7: “Jenifer Waller, CEO of the Colorado Bankers Association.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for 'Jenifer' provided information about a French singer, not confirming Jenifer Waller's role as CEO of the Colorado Bankers Association.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jenifer Yaël Juliette Dadouche-Bartoli (born 15 November 1982), known by the mononym Jenifer, is a French singer. Since winning the first season of Star Academy France in 2002, she has had a number of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenifer_(singer)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jenifer Bartoli, dite Jenifer 1, est une chanteuse et actrice française, née le 15 novembre 1982 à Nice.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenifer
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 910K Followers, 502 Following, 1,366 Posts - Jenifer (@jeniferofficiel) on Instagram: ""
https://www.instagram.com/jeniferofficiel/
verified
Claim 8: “Sonia Riggs, president and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association.”
VERIFIED
The official Colorado Restaurant Association website and related team pages explicitly confirm Sonia Riggs is the President & CEO.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sonia Riggs, CRA President & CEO. Sonia has been President and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA), the leading trade organization for the state’s dynamic restaurant industry, since 2014.
https://corestaurant.org/meet-the-ga-team/
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web search NEUTRAL — Executive Team. Sonia Riggs. Sonia Riggs. President & CEO Colorado Restaurant Association. Click to call 303.830.2972 ext.
https://corestaurant.org/about/our-team/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA) has served as the leading trade organization for the state’s dynamic restaurant industry since 1933; I joined the CRA as President and CEO in 2014.
https://shoutoutcolorado.com/meet-sonia-riggs-colorado-resta…
schedule
Claim 9: “A similar bill seeking broader limits on swipe fees was defeated in a Senate committee hearing last year.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 10: “Democratic House Speaker Julie McCluskie of Dillon, a main sponsor of the bill.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for 'Julie' provided general name meanings and unrelated people, failing to confirm Julie McCluskie's role as Speaker or her sponsorship of the bill.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Julie Andrews, 2013 Julie is a Latin first name which originally comes from the Latin Julia, itself derived from the Latin Julius, which is believed to either stem from Ancient Greek: ἴουλος, romanize…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_(given_name)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — JULIE Illinois 811 helps homeowners and excavators dig safely. Request utility locates before any project to prevent damage and ensure safe, legal excavation.
https://www.illinois1call.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Julie is a girl's name of French origin meaning "youthful, sky father". Julie is the 767 ranked female name by popularity.
https://nameberry.com/b/girl-baby-name-julie
check_circle
Claim 11: “Currently, those fees are calculated as a percentage of the total charge, sales tax and all.”
CORROBORATED
Two sources specifically discuss the Colorado context (the news report and Colorado Political) confirming that fees are currently calculated based on the total charge including sales tax.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Currently, those fees are calculated as a percentage of the total charge, sales tax and all. The proposal, which passed the House on a 45-19 vote, would remove sales taxes from the equation, basing sw…
https://www.cpr.org/2026/05/06/credit-card-swipe-fees-local-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Fair Swipe Act. Credit card fees are typically tacked on to the total transaction amount, including charges for items that don’t benefit the business directly—like tips and sales taxes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2025/05/02/dc-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Senate Bill 26-134 would prohibit credit cards from charging businesses a transaction fee based on the sales tax amount. That is, they may not include the sales tax portion of a transaction when calcu…
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/05/01/fight-over-credi…
info
Claim 12: “The proposal, which passed the House on a 45-19 vote, would remove sales taxes from the equation, basing swipe fees only on the underlying purchase.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general purpose of the bill (removing sales tax from the equation) is corroborated by multiple sources, the specific vote count (45-19) is only mentioned in one provided source snippet.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Senate Bill 26-134 would prohibit credit cards from charging businesses a transaction fee based on the sales tax amount. That is, they may not include the sales tax portion of a transaction when calcu…
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/05/01/fight-over-credi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Colorado lawmakers entertained a similar bill last year, but House Bill 1282 sought to remove tips and sales tax from the swipe fee calculation. That got shut down. This year’s bill is much narrower, …
https://coloradosun.com/2026/03/13/colorado-bill-swipe-fees-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The U.S. Senate recently approved President Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" by a single vote. While neither the Senate's nor the U.S. House of Representatives' versions of the bill directly eliminate So…
https://www.fool.com/retirement/2025/07/02/the-senate-just-p…
help
Claim 13: “Colorado represents only roughly 2% of the transactions nationwide”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the percentage of transactions in Colorado.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.