State lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee plan to meet with the executive director of the Department of Revenue on Friday to discuss a multimillion-dollar tax-refund scam.
Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, said the JBC will consider whether budget cuts in recent years have caused a lack of oversight at the department.
Pommer said funding for a better computer system and for auditors to monitor workers would help protect the agency from such losses in the future.
“They lost two auditors when the budget was cut over the last lean years,” Pommer said. “There’s a difference between lean government and really bad government.”
In recent years, the state has been struggling to keep up with funding requests for major construction projects.
The Colorado Integrated Tax Architecture computer system for the Department of Revenue competes with funding for building construction on college campuses and other projects.
“We have a patchwork of antiquated (computer) systems,” Pommer said. “We need a new, modern system.”
Wednesday, the House approved a bill to provide $9.5 million for CITA if the state has extra money in this year’s budget.
Pommer said the JBC plans to meet with Roxy Huber, the Revenue Department’s executive director, on Friday to discuss the matter.
Diane Reimer, spokeswoman for the Revenue Department, said Huber contacted State Auditor Sally Symanski by e-mail last weekend about the alleged tax scam and met with her Monday.
The state auditor had begun a regularly scheduled financial audit of the department, Reimer said, and Huber wanted to make sure that the issues would be included.
Sen. Steve Johnson, R-Larimer County, said he didn’t think legal changes were needed to address the problems.
Instead, he urged Huber to continue her internal investigation and report back to the JBC.
Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, chairman of the JBC, said the committee will set a date for Huber to report if that information is not available before the legislature adjourns.
The scheduled adjournment is Wednesday.
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-954-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.
