Tax Trial Begins For Anti-Tax Activist

Colorado’s best known tax opponent is on trial for tax evasion.

Testimony began Friday in the trial of Douglas Bruce in Denver, starting with a financial crime investigator.

Bruce is accused of evading taxes between 2005 and 2007 through a nonprofit group fighting government spending. Bruce is a former Republican state lawmaker and the father of Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which severely restricts government spending.

The nonprofit group, Active Citizens Together, earned some $178,000 in interest on Bruce’s donations between 2005 and 2007. Government prosecutors say Bruce should have paid taxes on that interest. Bruce says he didn’t benefit from the charity and is being punished for funding small-government advocacy.

If convicted, Bruce faces a fine up to $500,000 or possible jail time.