The Colorado General Assembly must reject the proposal to put higher cigarette taxes on the ballot in November. Voters already weighed in on this issue in 2016—and they soundly rejected the effort to triple cigarette taxes. Don’t ignore the will of the people: Vote NO on HB19-1333.
Increasing cigarette taxes would have a tremendous, negative impact on our state. If passed, this proposal would:
- Burden hardworking Coloradans by piling millions of dollars in new taxes on top of the millions adult smokers already pay for their right to purchase a legal product.
- Unfairly single out and target adult tobacco consumers with higher taxes to help fund government programs that benefit everyone.
- Threaten Colorado businesses by driving many adult smokers to make their purchases elsewhere—diverting money from local businesses and communities to neighboring states where tobacco taxes are lower.
The bottom line: Increasing tobacco taxes burdens hardworking Coloradans, hurts small businesses, and threatens local jobs. Instead of targeting adult tobacco consumers with regressive taxes simply for purchasing a legal product, lawmakers in Denver should focus on the more pressing issues affecting our state.
Respect the will of Colorado voters and protect local businesses—vote NO on HB19-1333!