Ballot Issues: CWCC Official Statements

The mission of the CWCC Public Affairs Committee (PAC) is to support a Colorado economic environment that welcomes business interests to Colorado and supports their ability to grow and thrive. A thriving business community helps women-owned businesses and women within all businesses, large and small. 

The Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce recommends its members OPPPOSE Amendment 73.
The Colorado Women’s Chamber supports a well-funded education system and believes strongly in creating a pipeline of educated young women and men to strengthen Colorado’s economy. We encourage programs that encourage young women to enter fields that put them on the best path to self-sufficiency and break traditional boundaries.
With Amendment 73, there is no promise of better results of outcomes in educational achievement as noted above. In addition, 86% of women-owned businesses in Colorado have only one employee and a majority earn less than 1 million in revenue annually. Our women-owned businesses are small and need growth. The tax implications for Amendment 73 are too burdensome and locks that burden into the state’s constitution.
In addition, Amendment 73 would be one of the largest tax increases in Colorado history. Amendment 73 moves Colorado away from a fair flat tax to a complicated graduated income tax structure and it raises the top rate by 78%. C-Corp rates will increase by 30%, which will make it harder for employers to hire. Small businesses could see up to a 78% increase in state taxes. Small businesses that operate as pass-through organizations like LLCs and S-Corps will face the new higher graduated taxes applied to individuals, putting them in line to face an increase over twice as large as the increases C-corps will face. We encourage our members to vote no on Amendment 73.

The Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce recommends its members OPPOSE Proposition 112.
The Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce would always support the safety, protection and support of our citizens and children. However, the simple fact is that Proposition 112 has attracted broad and bipartisan opposition because it simply goes too far. Colorado already has a stringent, responsive and data-driven set of regulations to protect the health and safety of the public. Our regulations are some of the toughest in the country and public health experts at the state level are constantly monitoring the performance of these regulations. If changes are needed, changes are made based on their expertise and the data. This is the right way forward.
Proposition 112, on the other hand, aims to ban oil and gas development over the widest possible area and drive a critical industry out of our state. The economic fallout would destroy almost 150,000 jobs across many industries, not just oil and gas, and we estimate roughly 68,000 of those jobs belong to women. The members of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce are deeply concerned about these harmful economic impacts and urge people to vote no on Proposition 112.

The Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce recommends its members SUPPORT Proposition 110.
Let’s Go Colorado would fund transportation improvements in our state through a .62 percent sales tax increase. This six cent increase on $10 would raise $767 million a year for transportation and unlock $6 billion of bonding capacity to be used for statewide projects on a priority list developed and released by the Colorado Department of Transportation; local projects determined by municipalities; and regional projects like senior bus service.
Women in business know that time is money. When they are stuck in traffic, they aren’t productive. They have less time to meet clients, sell and deliver products and travel for their business. Colorado’s transportation needs have gone unmet for decades, and we must support a flexible statewide funding solution that ensures local governments have the resources to meet demands, addresses high-priority projects on state highways, and promotes multimodal transportation options that reduce congestion.