2004 Nov 2 • General
Amendment 35 • State of Colorado

Amendment 35: Tobacco Tax Increase for Health-Related Purposes

Shall state taxes be increased $175 million annually through additional tobacco taxes imposed for health related purposes, and, in connection therewith, amending the Colorado constitution to increase statewide taxes on the sale of cigarettes by wholesalers of three and two-tenths cents per cigarette and on the sale, use, consumption, handling, or distribution of other tobacco products by distributorat the rate of twenty percent of the manufacturer's list price; increasing suchtobacco taxes effective January 1, 2005; requiring annual appropriations of specified percentages of the additional tobacco tax revenues to expand eligibility for and increase enrollment in the children's basic health plan, to fund comprehensive primary medical care through certain Colorado qualified providers, tobacco education programs, and prevention, early detection, and treatment of cancer and cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, to compensate the state general fund, the old age pension fund, and local governments for tobacco tax losses resulting from reduced sales of cigarettes and tobacco products; specifying that the appropriations of additional tobacco tax revenues shall be in addition to and not substituted for appropriations for such programs on January 1, 2005; allowing the use of additional tobacco tax revenues for any health related purpose and to serve populations enrolled in the children's basic health plan and the colorado medical assistance program as of January 1, 2005, upon a declaration of a state fiscal emergency by two-thirds of the members of each house of the general assembly and the governor; prohibiting the repeal or reduction of existing taxes imposed on cigarettes and other tobacco products; excluding all additional tobacco tax revenues from fiscal year spending for purposes of section 20 of article X of the Colorado constitution; and exempting appropriations of additional tobacco tax revenues from the statutory limitation on general fund appropriations growth or any other existing spending limitation?