Under Colorado’s Labor Day sunshine last week, hundreds marched in Denver under the banner “Workers Over Billionaires.” They demanded higher taxes on the wealthy and stronger labor protections.

Their intentions may be noble, but their understanding of the economic facts appears severely misguided.

Organized by progressive groups, the rally outside the Colorado State Capitol featured chants of “Workers Should Have Power” and signs proclaiming, “Stand Up for Workers and Immigrants’ Rights.”

Protesters criticized federal budget cuts, immigration enforcement, and economic uncertainty under President Donald Trump. This echoed similar demonstrations in New York, Chicago, Boston and other large cities. Their core message: “Tax the rich, not the workers.”

This message resonates, as millions of working Americans grapple with rising costs and job instability lingering from years of federal fiscal mismanagement. However, in their zeal to target the wealthy, these activists overlook the significant relief provided to the working class by the “Big Beautiful Bill” passed by the 119th Congress and enacted with the signature of Trump.

This landmark legislation delivers more benefits to low- and middle-income Americans than any prior tax overhaul, surpassing the direct aid provided by Joe Biden’s policies.

Key provisions include

• Doubled standard deductions, from $6,350 to $12,700 for singles and $12,700 to $25,400 for couples, simplifying filings and reducing taxable income for 80% of filers, putting thousands back in workers’ pockets.

• Slashed individual tax rates across brackets, with the lowest earners seeing the largest proportional cuts, per the Joint Committee on Taxation. A typical family could see up to $10,900 in additional take-home pay, while workers benefit from wage boosts of up to $7,200 due to corporate rate reductions designed to spur investment and job growth.

• No taxes on tips for 25 million service workers, including 414,000 in Colorado.

• No taxes on overtime for hourly laborers, offering direct relief to waitstaff, drivers, and factory workers in high-cost cities like Denver and Colorado Springs.

• Doubled child tax credit to $2,000 per child, projected to lift millions of working-class families out of poverty and provide a 35% income boost for low-income families with children, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

• Expanded Opportunity Zones, incentivizing investments in distressed neighborhoods to create jobs and revitalize housing in struggling communities.

By contrast, former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and other initiatives prioritized subsidies for green energy corporations and their wealthy executives.

Biden’s tax credits disproportionately benefited high-income households through electric vehicle incentives and solar rebates.

Biden’s push for higher corporate taxes — reversing Trump’s 21% rate — harmed small businesses and stifled wage growth for workers, while his American Rescue Plan fueled inflation and increased annual costs for low-income families by an estimated $2,500. By stark contrast, this year’s tax bill delivers a 1.3% income boost for middle earners.

The protesters’ confusion is understandable amid polarizing rhetoric from most of the left-wing mainstream media pack. Yet, the facts demonstrate how the 2025 reforms empower workers far more than the left’s top-down mandates.

In high-cost Colorado — a tourist state with a massive service sector — tax laws that reward workers, not punish success, warrant celebration by the rich and poor alike.