Denver City Wire

Republican gubernatorial nominee Heidi Ganahl recently said incumbent Gov. Jared Polis should be transparent about his finances and taxes.

Ganahl issued a press release stating that she has filed her tax returns and is calling on Polis to make his taxes public as well. The release notes that some politicians enrich themselves while in public office and calls for transparency to ensure that Polis is not doing the same.

"Jared Polis has spent more than $35 million of his own personal wealth on buying gubernatorial elections. While he continues to raise taxes on hardworking Coloradans, Polis has continually refused to be honest with us about his share of the burden. As governor, I will insist on transparency and honesty in my administration," Ganahl said, according to the press release. 

During a televised debate on Oct. 13, both candidates said they would be willing to release their tax return information, the Colorado Sun reported. 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%.

Princeton graduate Polis has a net worth of approximately $400 million, making him one of the wealthiest politicians in the country, Out There Colorado reported.

As a congressman in 2017, Polis was at the forefront of those calling for former President Donald Trump to release his tax returns, but when he became governor in 2018, he refused to release his own, ProPublica reported. According to ProPublica, Polis paid little or no federal income taxes for multiple years and has taken advantage of loopholes to avoid paying real estate taxes. The report also found that Polis spent more than $2 million from his charity, The Jared Polis Foundation, on flyers that were mailed out to Colorado households with the intention of building “on a foundation of familiarity with Jared Polis’ name and his support of public education.”