Measure on the ballot in the 2023 Colorado General Election in Colorado.
View your personalized ballot, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and research every name and measure on the ballot with BallotReady.
Get StartedThe act refers a ballot issue to the voters at the November 7, 2023, statewide election to allow the state to retain and spend state revenues that would otherwise need to be refunded for exceeding the estimate in the ballot information booklet analysis for proposition EE and to allow the state to maintain the tax rates established in proposition EE that would otherwise need to be decreased. If voters reject the ballot issue, the state will both: - Refund $23.65 million to distributors and wholesalers in a reasonable manner determined by the department of revenue; and - Reduce by 11.53% the tax rates of the taxes on cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products created or increased by proposition EE. If voters approve the ballot measure: - The money set aside for the potential refund related to proposition EE will instead be transferred to the preschool programs cash fund and the general fund; and - The new tax on nicotine products and the increased taxes on cigarettes and tobacco products in proposition EE will stay at the rates required by proposition EE. The refund or alternative spending is made or backfilled from revenue in the newly created proposition EE cash fund, which consists of $23.65 million from the preschool programs cash fund and the general fund.
A "YES" vote supports allowing the state of Colorato to keep any excess revenue from increased taxes on nicotine products (based on original projections) and allocate said revenue to preschool programs.
A "NO" vote opposes allowing the state to keep excess revenue from nicotine products, and requires the state to refund tobaccoo and nictonie wholesalers and distributors $23.65 millions, and also refucing the tobacco tax rate by 11.53%.
"Studies have shown that higher prices on tobacco and nicotine products lead to less usage amongst youth and young adults. By retaining these funds, we can keep these harmful products out of the hands of youth across the state of Colorado." - Preschool for All Coloradans, in support of Proposition II (Learn more)
"We opposed Proposition EE in 2020 and would oppose any efforts by the state to keep additional tax revenue. Colorado has enough tax dollars. Any additional tax revenue collected should be returned back to the taxed individual or business." - The Centennial Institute, in opposition to Proposition II (Learn more)
"Data shows when kids are enrolled in Pre-K their overall wellbeing is significantly improved. We have helped pass universal Pre-K in our state, and now more than ever, we cannot afford to take any steps backward. Let's not send money back to big tobacco and keep it invested in Colorado kids." - Healthier Colorado, in support of Proposition II (Learn more)
"Proposition II expands the government unnecessarily. Taxpayers are being asked to give up this refund and pay higher tax rates in the future in order to pay for a program that is already fully funded to the level that voters approved in Proposition EE." - Colorado Blue Book, in opposition to Proposition II (Learn more)
Without raising taxes, may the state retain and spend revenues from taxes on cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine products and maintain tax rate on cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine products and use these revenues to invest twenty-three million six hundred fifty thousand dollars to enhance the voluntary Colorado preschool program and make it widely available for free instead of reducing these tax rates and refunding revenues to cigarette wholesalers, tobacco product distributors, nicotine products distributors, and other taxpayers, for exceeding an estimate included in the ballot information booklet for proposition EE?
View your personalized ballot, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and research every name and measure on the ballot with BallotReady.