Colorado Sales Tax for Developmentally Disabled, Amendment 51 (2008)

The Colorado Sales Tax for Developmentally Disabled, Amendment 51 appeared on the November 2008 ballot in Colorado as an initiated constitutional amendment, where it was defeated. The measure would have increased the state sales tax by $185.1 million annually to provide funding for long-term services for persons with developmental disabilities.

Election results

Amendment 51 (2008)
Result		Votes	Percentage
d No		1,414,065	62.37%
Yes		853,211	37.63%

Election Results via: The Colorado Secretary of State

Ballot title

The official ballot title for the measure reads:

State taxes shall be increased $185.1 million annually after full implementation by the amendment to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning an increase in the state sales and use tax to provide funding for long-term services for persons with developmental disabilities, and in connection therewith, increasing the rate of the state sales and use tax beginning on July 1, 2009, by one-tenth of one percent in each of the next two fiscal years; permitting the state to retain and spend all revenues from the new tax, notwithstanding the state spending limit; requiring an amount equal to the net revenue from the new tax to be deposited in the newly created Developmental Disabilities Long-Term Service Cash Fund; requiring the money in the fund to be used to provide long-term services for the persons with developmental disabilities; and prohibiting reductions in the level of state appropriations in the annual general appropriations bill existing on the effective date of this measure for long-term services for persons with developmental disabilities.

Details of the measure

The measure would have included the following provisions:

• A two-cent state sales tax on every $10 would be added.
• The tax would be phased in, raising the current state sales tax of 2.9% to 3% the first year and then to 3.1% in the second year.
• Gasoline, groceries, prescription drugs, medical services, and utilities would remain exempt from the state sales tax.
• The new tax money would be used to provide services that help the developmentally-disabled with daily living tasks such as food preparation, job training, nursing, and medical needs.

Supporters

The Arc of Colorado, a nonprofit organization, is leading the campaign for the measure. End Colorado's Developmental Disability Wait List is the committee behind the campaign for the measure.

Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin came out against the measure.

End Colorado's Developmental Disability Wait List raised $107,532 in August 2008. Almost half, $51,000, came from The ARC in Jefferson County.

The group raised an additional $64,000 in the first two weeks of September. The largest donors were the Developmental Disabilities Response Center in Lakewood ($25,000) and Imagine in Lafayette ($15,000).

Supporters included the following organizations that signed on to support Amendment 51 Initiative to End The Wait List for Persons with Developmental Disabilities:

• Ability Specialists
• ACL in Boulder
• Adams Camp
• Adaptive AutoMobility
• Advanced Systems Plus

additional supporters can be viewed at the committee's website.

Opponents

Taxpayers who believe that the State Legislature should establish spending priorities before increasing the tax burden on hard-working residents.

"Critics of the proposal say residents can not afford a tax hike, and that the higher tax rate would hurt the state's economy. Opponents also say funding levels for such services should be determined as part of the regular budget process of the state Legislature. "Reducing the waiting lists could be accomplished without raising taxes by re-prioritizing how the state spends its money," opponents wrote in the state Blue Book voter guide."

Status

Supporters submitted more than 131,000 signatures for the measure, well over the 76,047 valid signatures required, on July 28, 2008. The signatures were certified by the Secretary of State's office on Aug. 11, 2008.

See also

• Procedures for qualifying an initiative in Colorado
• Laws governing the initiative process in Colorado
• Campaign finance requirements for Colorado ballot measures
• Colorado 2008 ballot measures
• Petition drive deadlines in 2008
• Colorado signature requirements
• List of Colorado ballot measures
• 2008 ballot measures

Suggest a link

External links

• Full text of the initiative
• 2008 State Ballot Information Booklet, English version (Blue Book)
• 2008 State Ballot Information Booklet, Spanish version (Blue Book)
• Arc of Colorado's web site
• National Journal: "Wild Cards In The Deck," July 28, 2008