Proposition 137State law · Citizen initiative
Sporting-goods tax for conservation
Explain it like I'm 5
The state already collects sales tax when people buy things like bikes, tents, and skis. This would let Colorado keep that money for water, forests, wildfire prevention, and outdoor recreation instead of treating it like money available for refunds.
Yes vote
The state may retain and spend sporting-goods sales-tax revenue on water, land, forests, wildfire prevention, and outdoor recreation outside normal TABOR limits.
No vote
The revenue remains under normal TABOR rules and may be available for refunds or other budget uses.
The question to ask yourself
Is dedicated outdoor and wildfire funding worth potentially smaller TABOR refunds and less budget flexibility?
The case for
- It provides dedicated funding for wildfire prevention, water, forests, conservation, and outdoor access.
- It uses existing sales-tax revenue without raising the tax rate.
- Outdoor-equipment purchases help fund protection of the places used for recreation.
Backed by: The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, Conservation Colorado, Great Outdoors Colorado, Phil Weiser, Ken Salazar
The case against
- Keeping the revenue can reduce TABOR refunds to taxpayers.
- Dedicated funding limits legislative flexibility when other needs arise.
- The money may be removed from the general budget while still being funded by broad sales taxes.
Opposed by: League of Women Voters of Colorado, Eco-Integrity Alliance
- Money
- The measure does not change the sales-tax rate and is estimated to direct about $175 million in 2027-28.
- Don't be misled
- It is misleading to call this a new sporting-goods tax, because it redirects existing sales-tax revenue, although it may reduce refunds.