The Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce announced today it is opposed to Colorado Proposition 119 — Creation of Out-of-School Education Program and Marijuana Sales Tax Initiative.
The Longmont Area Chamber supports public education and enrichment programs for school children, CEO Scott Cook said in a news release. However, Proposition 119 does not provide the most effective solution to investing in enrichment programs for all school children, Cook said.
After carefully considering the proposal, the chamber’s Board of Directors and Public Policy Committee voted to oppose the measure, Cook said.
“One of our concerns is that Proposition 119 doesn’t specifically detail how the increased funds would be used to provide the comprehensive impact needed to successfully bridge the achievement gap that exists in various parts of our community and state,” Cook said.
Proposition 119 would incrementally raise the recreational marijuana sales tax by 5% by the year 2024 on top of the current 15% sales tax rate it already faces, according to a Channel 7 breakdown of the initiative.
The measure would create the Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress program as well as the Colorado Learning Authority, which would oversee the program.
Proponents say education groups could apply for funding generated by the new tax to create after-school tutoring, second language training, sports, career or technical training and mental health services for kids ages 5-17, Channel 7 states.
Opponents say a sales tax on marijuana sales is a regressive tax that disproportionately affects low-income users.
The Longmont Chamber of Commerce is committed to working with educators, elected officials, businesses and other interested parties to develop innovative ways to further support education in Colorado, Cook states.
“We feel that further research, input and collaboration will result in an effort that will achieve the collective goals that we all agree are worth pursuing for our state, students, parents and businesses moving forward,” Cook said.
