Local businesses say tobacco and nicotine tax isn’t a good solution

The cost of cigarettes in Colorado might be going up. A bill introduced at the state legislature this week seeks to increase the taxes on nicotine and tobacco products, but it’s not going over well with the people who use them.

Inside the Old West Cigar shop in downtown Colorado Springs, business relies on people coming in and picking out what cigars they want, rather than buying online.

Manager Mike Lee says making his products more expensive might make it harder to keep the doors open.

He explains, “We’re not going to be able to compete with online stores at all, and that’s going to cost jobs.”

House Bill 19-1333, introduced with the help of Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday, might do just that.

If passed, and then approved by voters in November, the taxes on tobacco products like cigars would go up from 40% to 60%.

The tax on a pack of cigarettes triples, going from 84 cents to $2.59.

A big part of the Governor’s goal is targeting nicotine based vaping products. Polis says this bill will help deter kids from using them.

“The biggest single impact on the reduction of use from increasing the price will be from young people who are more price sensitive,” he explains.

Marissa Howard, the owner at Vapor Uprising who spoke to KRDO February, says upping her prices won’t change the problem.

“We need to start holding individuals accountable. If a liquor store sells to a minor, they’re held accountable. If a vape store sells to a minor, they’re held accountable,” she says.

The millions of dollars in tax money will go toward pre-school programs but the question business owners are asking is, at what cost?

Lawmakers have to move quickly on this bill if they want it to pass the legislature. There are only seven working days left for them to pass it if they want voters to have it on the November ballot.