Occidental Petroleum tax lawsuit headed to Colorado high court

Once Mesa County’s biggest taxpayer, Occidental Petroleum is asking the Colorado Supreme Court to order the county, a school district and other local governments to return more than $1.8 million to the company in what it says were tax overpayments.

Mesa County is the local government with the most at stake: some $400,000 in payments that would have to be returned, along with what is now about $150,000 in interest, which is rapidly growing. All that would come out of the 2017 budget should Oxy prevail before the high court.

The Colorado Court of Appeals in December ruled against Oxy, but the high court has now agreed to hear the case.

Officials with Oxy didn’t respond to emails. The company’s Denver phone number is no longer in service.

Read more: http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/tax-lawsuit-headed-to-colorado-high-court/