Denver City Wire

Danielle Neuschwanger, a third party candidate for governor of Colorado, is criticizing incumbent Gov. Jared Polis after he debated Republican Heidi Ganahl in a recent televised event.

“Gubernatorial debate - Polis doubled down on his lies while being the single most destructive force Colorado has seen for the last 30 years,” Neuschwanger wrote in an Oct. 13 Twitter post. “Remember the businesses, first responders, children and families hurt under Polis. Colorado cannot afford him for the next four. Don’t vote Polis!”

Polis faced Republican University of Colorado Regent Ganahl in Thursday's debate, during which the candidates discussed key issues including fentanyl and crime, abortion and taxes, according to the Colorado Sun which hosted the event in partnership with CBS4. Both candidates have said that they would support eliminating the state's income tax, with Ganahl's plan hinging on a government hiring freeze, excluding the Colorado State Patrol, which is understaffed, and would include converting some of the state's fees into taxes with voter approval. Polis has said he would create pollution and carbon taxes to replace the revenue from income taxes. 

On the subject of their own income taxes, both candidates have said they are willing to provide their tax returns. Ganahl said, “We don’t have to discuss it. I’m happy to.” Multimillionaire Polis has previously released tax returns and come under fire for not paying federal income taxes from 2013 to 2015. Between 2010 and 2018, Polis paid federal income taxes at a rate of 8.2%, while a Coloradan making $45,000 in 2018 would have paid income taxes at a rate of 19%.

The Colorado Independence Institute analyzed Ganahl’s Zero Income Tax plan and released a report stating that the plan has “enough detail and specificity to light a traversable path to zero income tax," according to a release. The Institute found Polis’ plan of introducing a carbon tax to replace the revenue would increase gas costs to $46 per gallon.

The report notes that aside from introducing an "exorbitantly high carbon tax," Polis' plan includes "almost no concrete policy proposals." The report concludes, "Ganahl has mapped out a plan that combines shrinking the size of government and offsetting lost income tax revenue with revenue from other sources without raising taxes. While ambitious, the numbers add up, and the plan could work with buy-in from legislators and the public. Her main obstacle to eliminating the income tax is not an inadequate plan but rather politicians and other political interests who want to continue growing state government."

Neuschwanger will appear on November's ballot as a candidate for the American Constitution Party, alongside Democrat Polis and Republican Ganahl, according to Ballotpedia. Neuschwanger is a rancher and small business owner.